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THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

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NORTH  CAROLINA 


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A  LIBRARY 

FOR 

MY  YOUNG  COUNTRYMEN. 

EDITED    BY 
THE   AUTHOR   OF    "UNCLE   PHILIP'S   CONVERSATIONS. 


VOLUME    IV, 

ADVENTURES  OF  HERNAN  CORTES. 


k  OV  ]L  H  T  i:^II 


YF  THE 


)M(0)TUlffiOlLO3F-lfiS3kiLGO 


By  the  Mttioi  of 
"Uncle  Tiii)i)»'6  CoiivexsatioiLS" 


NEW  YORK 

D.Appleton.  &  Company  COO  Tiroailwaj 


ADVENTURES         r 


HER  NAN    CORTES,// 

I 


CONQUEROR  OF  MEXICO. 

BY 

THE  AUTHOR   OF   "UNCLE  PHILIP'S   CONVERSATIONS." 


NEW    YORK: 

D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  200  BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA: 
GEORGE  S.  APPLETON,  148  CHESTNUT  ST. 

MDCCCXLIII. 


,«*v»-vV  ^\    «**\ 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1843, 

By  D.  APPLETON  &  CO., 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States, 

for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


STEREOTYPED  BY  REDFIELD  &  SAVAGE, 
13  Chambers  Street,  New  York. 


F 


Q  0  "-' 


NOTE. 

The  writer  of  this  volume  has  thought  it  best 
not  to  encumber  a  book  written  for  the  young, 
with  references  to  authorities.  He  owes  it  to 
himself,  however,  to  say,  that  he  believes  he  has 
made  no  statement  for  which  authority  may  not 
readily  be  produced. 

To  any  older  readers,  who  may  possibly  glance 
at  the  volume,  he  would  remark,  that  he  is  indebt- 
ed for  his  materials  principally  to  Antonio  de 
Herrera,  Bernal  Diaz,  Antonio  de  Solis,  Torque- 
mada,  Clavigero,  Don  Telesforo  de  Trueba  y 
Cosio,  Venegas,  the  letters  of  Hernan  Cortes,  the 
English  historian  Robertson,  and  our  own  lament- 
ed countryman,  R.  C.  Sands,  Esq. 


\ 

7675-    247 


TO 

THOSE  OF  MY  YOUNG  COUNTRYMEN, 

WHO   ARE   DISPOSED   TO    GATHER   FROM   THE   PAGES   OF 

HISTORY,    A   STORY   OF   REAL   LIFE,    STRANGER 

THAN   ANY   TALE   OF   ROMANCE, 

8TJ)is  Volume 

IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED, 

By  the  Author. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  parentage  of  Heman  Cortes — His  early  boyhood— 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  is  sent  to  the  University  of  Sala- 
manca— Proves  lazy,  and  returns  home — Leaves  his  books? 
and  takes  to  field-sports — Disappointment  of  his  father — 
Passion  of  young  Cortes  for  military  life — Determines  to 
join  the  great  captain  Gonzalo  in  the  wars  of  Italy,  but  is 
disappointed — Resolves  to  accompany  his  kinsman  Ovando 
to  Hispaniola,  but  is  prevented  by  an  accident — At  length 
reaches  Hispaniola  in  1504 — Kindness  of  Ovando — Restless- 
ness of  Cortes — His  third  disappointment — Accompanies 
Diego  Velasquez  in  his  conquest  of  Cuba — Imprudence  of 
Cortes — Expedition  of  Hernandez  de  Cordova  and  Juan  de 
Gnjalva — Discoveries  of  Grijalva — Excitement  among  the 
Spaniards — Cortes  manages  to  get  command  of  an  expedi- 
tion for  the  continent — Jealousy  of  Velasquez — Attempts  to 
stop  him  at  Trinidad  and  Havana — Enthusiasm  among  the 
followers  of  Cortes Page  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Cortes  arrives  at  Cozumel — Imprudence  of  Alvarado — Discov- 
ery of  Geronimo  de  Aguilar — his  wretched  condition — The 
fleet  reaches  Tabasco — Hostility  of  the  natives — Cortes 
offers  to  treat  with  them  ;  they  refuse — Notwithstanding 
their  opposition,  he  makes  his  landing — Defeats  th^m  on  the 
great  plain  of  Ceutla — Receives  Dona  Marina  as  a  present — ■ 
He  erects  a  cross  upon  the  plain — The  fleet  sails  for  St.  Juan 
de  Ulua — Reaches  that  harbor — Kindness  of  the  natives — 
Interview  with  Teutchlile,  their  chief— Demands  that  he  may 
see  the  Emperor  Montezuma,  and  sends  presents  to  him — 
Alarm  of  Montezuma — He  refuses  to  see  the  strangers,  but 
sends  presents  to  them  -Cortes  again  demands  to  see  him — - 
Anger  and  fear  of  the  Emperor — Commands  Cortes  to  leave 
his  empire,  yet  sends  him  further  presents  .        .        31 


10  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Teutchlile  arrives  at  the  Spanish  camp  with  the  commands  of 
Montezuma — Finds  Cortes  in  the  midst  of  difficulties  with 
his  men — Leaves  the  camp  angry — Murmurs  of  the  men — 
Management  of  Cortes — Commences  the  settlement  of  Villa 
Rica  de  la  Vera  Cruz — Quiets  the  complaints  of  the  discon- 
tented— The  Cacique  of  Chempoalla  invites  him  to  visit  him 
■ — Cortes  accepts  the  invitation — Interview  between  them — 
The  settlement  is  removed  to  Quiabislan — Friendship  of  the 
Caciques  of  Chempoalla  and  Quiabislan — The  tax-gatherers 
of  Montezuma  arrive — Cortes  arrests  them — The  Totonacas 
become  his  friends — Visits  the  Cincapacingas — Makes  friends 
of  them — Imprudence  of  Cortes  in  the  temple  of  Chempoalla 
— Sends  messengers  with  presents  to  the  King  of  Spain — 
Plot  of  Escudero  and  Centeno  to  stop  them — They  are  put 
to  death — Cortes  destroys  his  fleet,  and  prepares  to  march 
toward  Mexico — Arrival  of  Alonzo  de  Pineda  upon  the  coast 
— Stratagem  of  Cortes — Sets  out  on  his  march — Passes  Xal- 
apan,  Socachema,  and  Texotla,  and  arrives  at  Xocotlan — 
Interview  with  the  Cacique — Determines  to  pursue  his  jour- 
ney through  the  province  of  Tlascala  ...        46 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Cortes  enters  the  Tlascalan  territory — Character  of  the  people 
— Wars  with  the  Tlascalans — Cortes  subdues  them — They 
become  his  allies— Marches  to  Cholula— Conspiracy  and  aw- 
ful massacre  of  the  Cholulans 64 


CHAPTER  V. 

Cortes  sends  messengers  to  Montezuma,  and  leaves  Cholula — 
Alarm  of  Montezuma — The  Spaniards  reach  the  summit  of 
Ithualco,  and  see  the  valley  of  Mexico — Montezuma  retires 
to  the  palace  of  Tlillancalmecatl  to  mourn  and  pray  -Sends 
his  nephew  Cacamatzin  to  dissuade  Cortes  from  entering  his 
city — Cortes  crosses  the  causeway  of  Iztapalapan — Meets 
Montezuma — His  splendid  appearance — Enters  Mexico,  and 
makes  his  quarters  at  the  palace  of  Axajacatl — Montezuma 
visits  him — Cortes  returns  the  visit — By  his  permission,  visits 
the  great  market-place,  the  temple,  &c. — Is  disgusted  in  the 
temple — Anger  of  Montezuma — Suspicions  of  the  Tlascalans 
— Death  of  Escalante — Treachery  of  the  nobles — Cortes  re- 
solves to  seize  Montezuma — Enters  his  palace,  and  carries 
him  away  to  the  Spanish  quarters        ....        83 


CONTENTS.  11 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Montezuma  becomes  satisfied  at  the  Spanish  quarters — Arrival 
of  Quauhpopoca — He  is  delivered  to  Cortes — His  confession 
— Is  tried,  and  condemned  to  die — Montezuma  is  fettered, 
and  Quauhpopoca  burnt — Revolt  of  Cacamatzin,  the  lord  of 
Tezcuco — He  is  made  a  prisoner — Cortes  persuades  Monte- 
zuma to  swear  allegiance  to  the  King'  of  Spain — and  to 
send  him  a  present  of  gold  and  silver — The  nobles  are  roused 
— Montezuma  orders  Cortes  to  leave  the  country — allows 
him  time  to  build  ships  for  his  departure — Arrival  of  Pam- 
philo  de  Narvaez  with  eighteen  ships — Cortes  is  ordered 
again  to  leave — His  joy  and  disappointment — Treachery  of 
Montejo — Anger  of  Velasquez — Endeavors  to  make  a  friend 
of  Narvaez — Sends  him  messages  and  presents — Narvaez 
proves  stubborn — Cortes  leaves  one  hundred  and  fifty  men 
with  Alvarado  at  Mexico,  and  marches  to  Chempoalla — At- 
tacks him  at  midnight  and  makes  him  a  prisoner — The  sol- 
diers of  Narvaez  gladly  enlist  under  him  .        .        102 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Insurrection  of  the  Mexicans  in  the  capital — Struggles  of 
Cortes — Death  of  Montezuma — Awful  conflict  in  the  temple 
— The  Spaniards  retreat  from  Mexico — Dreadful  massacre 
on  the  causeway  of  Tacuba — Cortes  escapes  with  the  rem- 
nant of  his  army  to  the  temple  of  Otoncalpolco — Determines 
to  go  to  Tlascala  .  120 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Battle  of  Otompan — Victory  of  the  Spaniards — Cortes  reaches 
Tlascala — Kindness  of  the  Tlascalans — The  soldiers  of  Nar- 
vaez murmur — Cortes  receives  unexpected  reinforcements — 
The  murmurers  are  sent  home — He  despatches  messengers 
to  Spain,  Hispaniola,  and  Jamaica — Orders  ship-timbers  to 
be  cut  in  the  Tlascalan  forests — Makes  his  head-quarters  at 
Tezcuco — Death  of  Cuitlahuitzin — Guatimozin  is  made  King 
of  Mexico— Cortes  attacks  the  cities  Iztapalapan,  Chalco, 
and  Tlalmamalco — Sandoval  reduces  Zoltepec — The  timbers 
for  the  brigantines  are  brought  to  Tezcuco — Xaltocan  and 
Tacuba  are  reduced— -Guatimozin  refuses  terms  of  peace — 
Quauhnahuac  and  Xochimilco  are  attacked— Narrow  escape 
of  Cortes — Conspiracy  of  Villafana — Courage  and  address  of 
Cortes— The  brigantines  are  launched       ...        140 


12  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  siege  of  Mexico  is  commenced — Dreadful  massacre  of  the 
Spaniards  on  the  causeways — Narrow  escape  of  Cortes — 
Frightful  festival  of  the  Mexicans  in  the  temple — Their  cun- 
ning— Prudence  of  Cortes — The  siege  is  renewed — Message 
to  Guatimozin — His  scornful  answer — The  Spaniards  enter 
the  capital — The  last  quarter  is  besieged — Guatimozin  is 
made  prisoner— The  capital  reduced — Disappointed  avarice 
of  the  Spaniards — Guatimozin  is  put  to  the  torture — Cortes 
snatches  him  from  his  tormentors — Death  of  the  Mexican 
King — Conquest  of  the  distant  provinces— Enmity  of  the 
Bishop  of  Burgos  toward  Cortes — Rebuilding  of  the  capital — 
Cortes  liberates  Narvaez 157 

CHAPTER  X. 

Revolt  in  Panuco — Intrigues  in  Spain  against  Cortes— His 
friends  support  him — The  King  makes  him  Captain-General 
and  Governor  of  New  Spain — His  great  popularity— Arrival 
of  Garay — Imprudence  of  his  men — Slaughter  of  the  Panu- 
chese — The  Bishop  of  Burgos  and  Narvaez  continue  their 
intrigues — Treachery  and  death  of  Christoval  de  Olid — 
March  of  Cortes  to  Honduras — The  King  issues  a  commis- 
sion to  investigate  his  conduct — Fidelity  of  the  soldiers  of 
Cortes — He  embarks  for  Spain— Death  of  Sandoval — Recep- 
tion of  Cortes  at  the  Spanish  court — He  returns  to  Mexico 
disappointed— Difficulties  with  the  Audiencia— Embarks  in 
new  adventures— Discovery  of  California  — Fails  in  his  plans 
— Returns  to  Spain — Ingratitude  of  the  King— Scornful  treat- 
ment of  the  ministers — Death  of  Cortes — His  remains  are 
taken  to  Mexico 174 


THE 


ADVENTURES  OF  HERNAN  CORTES. 


CHAPTER    I 


HO  has  not  heard  of  that  dar- 
ing and  fiery  Spaniard,  Hernan 
Cortes,  the  Conqueror  of  Mex- 
ico ?    The  story  of  his  exploits 
is  as  wild  as  a  fable,  and  were 
it  not  now  a  well-known  part 
of  the  history  of  Mexico,  could 
scarcely   be    believed.       To 
those  of  my  young  fellow-citizens 
who  may  be  ignorant  of  his  career, 
I  offer  the  history  of  this  remarka- 
ble man. 
_j/^*  If  you  will  look  upon  a  map  of 

^V¥)*  Spain,  in  the  province  of  Estremadura, 
*^$F?3Sf'  you  will  find  the  small  town  of  Medel- 
~0/j  lin.     At  this  place,  in  the  year  1485, 

Hernan  Cortes  was  bom  of  poor  but  respecta- 
ble parents.      His   parents  (Don  Martin   Cortes 
2 


14  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

de  Monroy  and  Dona  Catalina  Pizarro  de  Altami- 
rano)  were  of  noble  descent,  had  been  once  rich, 
but  were  now  reduced.  Whatever  others  may 
think,  I  consider  it  fortunate  that  young  Cortes 
was  born  poor.  Had  he  been  the  child  of  a  rich 
man,  he  might  have  been  reared  in  the  midst  of 
foolish  luxuries  and  indulgences,  fed  a  life  of  idle 
dissipation,  and  proved  utterly  worthless  :  as  it 
was,  his  poverty  forced  him  to  make  exertions  and 
to  struggle  with  the  world.  Poverty  helped  him, 
as  it  has  helped  many  others  ;  it  taught  him  to 
rely  upon  his  own  energies.  It  was  particularly 
fortunate  in  his  case  ;  for  his  natural  temperament, 
as  you  will  see,  was  just  such  as  to  ruin  him,  had 
he  been  born  to  a  rich  inheritance. 

Of  the  earliest  years  of  his  boyhood  I  can  tell 
you  nothing,  except  that  he  was  a  warm-hearted, 
sprightly,  and  intelligent  lad,  admired  and  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  him.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
gave  such  promise  of  future  usefulness,*that  his 
father  determined  he  should  have  the  advantage 
of  an  education,  to  fit  him  for  the  study  of  the 
law.  Young  Cortes  was  sent,  therefore,  at  this 
time,  to  the  celebrated  University  of  Salamanca. 
Here,  for  the  first  time,  he  disappointed  the  ex- 
pectations of  his  friends.  His  ardent  and  restless 
nature  could  not  well  bear  the  close  industry  and 
confinement  of  college  life,  and  boys  of  inferior 
parts  outstripped  him  in  his  studies.     At  the  eml 


HERNAN    CORTES.  15 

©f  two  years,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  he  was  worse 
than  lazy.  He  was  now  so  weary  of  his  situation, 
that  he  became  the  leader  of  many  wild  and  mis- 
chievous irregularities — so  much  so,  that  more 
than  once  he  came  near  being  expelled  from  the 
University.  At  length,  to  the  great  sorrow  of  his 
father,  he  left  Salamanca,  and  returned  to  Medel- 
lin.  Here,  laying  aside  all  books,  he  devoted  him- 
self to  active  and  manly  sports,  and  made  himself 
skilful  in  horsemanship  and  the  use  of  arms. 

For  some  time  he  continued  in  this  career,  and 
being,  unfortunately  as  it  proved  at  the  time,  a  boy 
of  fine  appearance,  amiable  disposition,  and  enga- 
ging manners,  he  brought  about  him  many  com- 
panions, and  launched  with  them  into  many  dissi- 
pations. His  father  was  now  very  miserable.  Far 
from  dreaming  that  his  son  would  ever  reach  honor 
or  distinction,  he  feared  that  he  was  in  a  fair  way 
to  prove  a  worthless  and  unhappy  man.  One  hope, 
however,  was  still  left  him.  The  boy  had  a  pas- 
sion for  military  life,  and  sighed  for  daring  adven- 
tures as  a  soldier.  This  passion  was  carefully 
cultivated  by  the  father,  and  in  a  little  time,  when 
an  occasion  presented  itself,  young  Cortes  showed 
that  he  was  fully  alive  to  it.  The  "  Great  Cap- 
tain" Gonzalo  de  Cordova  was  adding  to  his  fame 
in  the  wars  in  Italy,  and  crowds  of  Spanish  youth 
were  eager  to  flock  to  his  standard.  Among  the 
rest  was  Hernan  Cortes.     Numbers  enlisted,  but 


16  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

when  they  were  about  starting  on  their  march  to* 
join  Cordova  at  Naples,  young  Cortes  was  sudden- 
ly seized  with  sickness,  and  thereby  kept  at  home. 
This  was  a  sad  disappointment  to  the  boy,  as  well 
as  his  father. 

Another  opportunity  for  adventure, however,  soon 
offered,  with  fairer  prospects  for  Cortes.  Don 
Nicolas  de  Ovando,  his  kinsman,  had  been  ap- 
pointed the  Governor  of  Hispaniola,  and  Don 
Martin  supposed  that,  under  the  patronage  of  this 
kinsman,  a  fair  field  was  opened  before  his  son  in 
the  New  World.  Young  Cortes  now  forgot  his 
disappointment,  and  set  his  heart  upon  accom- 
panying Don  Nicolas.  Great  preparations  were 
making  for  transporting  the  new  Governor  to  his 
dominions  ;  and,  as  he  watched  the  progress,  his 
desires  were  the  more  inflamed.  Thirty-two  ships 
were  soon  ready,  and  twenty-five  hundred  persons 
(many  of  them  people  of  rank)  were  about  em- 
barking as  settlers  for  the  new  colony.  But  when 
all  was  ready,  Cortes  was  again  prevented  from 
being  one  of  the  number.  This  disappointment 
was  brought  about  by  his  own  folly  and  rash- 
ness. It  seems  that  he  had  formed  an  attachment 
for  a  lady  at  Medellin,  and  on  a  dark  night,  before 
the  ships  set  sail,  was  trying  to  reach  the  window 
of  her  chamber.  In  doing  this,  he  had  to  scram- 
ble over  an  old  wall,  which  unfortunately  gave  way 
under  him,  and  he  was  severely  injured  by  the  fall- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  17 

The  ships,  therefore,  sailed  without  him,  leaving 
young  Cortes  sick  and  sorrowful,  and  his  father 
deeply  mortified. 

At  length,  having  slowly  recovered,  his  father 
once  more  turned  his  thoughts  toward  the  New 
World.  Young  Cortes  still  burned  with  the  desire 
to  join  his  kinsman  Don  Nicolas ;  and  all  being 
made  ready  accordingly,  he  left  Medellin,  and  ar- 
rived safely  at  Saint  Domingo,  in  the  year  1504. 
Ovando  welcomed  him  cordially,  receiving  him 
like  his  own  son.  He  at  once  fixed  him  in  places 
of  distinction  and  profit,  and  seemed  in  every  way 
determined  to  push  his  fortunes.  Notwithstanding 
this,  Cortes  was  restless,  and  in  a  little  time  pant- 
ing for  a  wider  field,  where  he  might  earn,  as  he 
thought,  fame  and  glory.  He  was  better  satisfied 
when  a  circumstance  occurred,  which  he  thought 
opened  that  field.  Two  Spaniards,  Ojeda  and 
Nicuesa,  had  determined  upon  an  expedition  for 
the  purpose  of  making  discoveries  and  settle- 
ments upon  the  main  land  of  America.  Cortes 
heartily  joined  them  in  this  enterprise,  laboring 
with  diligence  to  make  all  things  ready.  But 
when,  at  length,  all  was  ready,  his  companions 
departed,  leaving  him  too  sick  to  undertake  the 
voyage.  He  was  now  very  miserable  over  this 
third  disappointment,  but  afterwards,  when  he 
learned  the  result  of  that  expedition,  he  looked 
upon  the  disappointment  as  a  blessmg.  It  was  the 
2* 


18  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

most  unfortunate  attempt  ever  made  by  the  Span- 
iards in  the  New  World.  The  poor  adventurers 
suffered  sorely  by  tempests ;  and  when  at  length 
they  landed,  the  poisoned  arrows  of  the  natives, 
together  with  disease  and  famine,  swept  off  the 
most  of  them.  A  little  colony  planted  upon  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien,  by  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa, 
was  all  that  remained  of  the  enterprise.  Yet  with 
all  this,  he  had  a  thought  that  had  he  been  among 
the  adventurers,  things  might  have  gone  better  ; 
and  his  heart  was  stjjl  bent  upon  discoveries  and 
conquests.  Among  all  the  wild  schemes  of  adven- 
ture talked  of  among  the  settlers  at  Hispaniola, 
none  were  too  wild  for  him  :  he  was  ready,  in  fact, 
for  any  daring  expedition, — the  more  daring  the 
better. 

In  1511,  Don  Diego  Columbus,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded Ovando  as  Governor,  determined  upon  the 
conquest  of  the  island  of  Cuba,  and  Cortes  re- 
solved to  bear  his  part  in  it.  The  Governor  se- 
lected as  the  leader  of  this  enterprise  Diego  Ve- 
lasquez, a  man  well  known  in  Hispaniola  ;  and 
Cortes  managed  by  his  ability  to  be  made,  with 
Andres  de  Dueror  joint  secretary  to  Velasquez.  In 
a  little  time  all  was  ready,  and  Velasquez  departed 
with  a  large  number  of  followers.  He  anticipated 
a  struggle  in  subduing  the  natives  of  the  island, 
and  had  made  preparations  for  it ;  but,  strange  to 
tell,  an  island  seven  hundred  miles  long,  and  cov^ 


HERNAN    CORTES.  19 

ered  with  numerous  inhabitants,  was  brought  into 
subjection  almost  without  an  effort.  The  cacique 
Hatuey  opposed  his  landing,  and  afterwards  gave 
him  some  trouble,  but  with  his  three  hundred  men 
he  was  soon  master  of  the  island,  and  established 
several  colonies,  the  principal  one  being  at  St. 
Jago. 

Cortes,  seeing  the  advantage  of  his  position,  cul- 
tivated warmly  the  friendship  of  Velasquez  ;  and 
as  he  knew  that  Andres  de  Duero  had  his  par- 
ticular confidence,  he  managed  to  make  a  warm 
friend  of  him.  Many  of  the  people,  however, 
soon  became  dissatisfied  with  Velasquez,  and  de- 
termined to  send  complaints  against  him  to  Don 
Diego  Columbus.  Cortes,  by  his  manly  bearing, 
had  made  friends  of  the  multitude,  and  when  they 
came  to  choosing  some  one  who  should  bear  their 
complaints,  the  boldness  and  sagacity  of  Cortes 
prompted  them  to  choose  him.  It  was  a  danger- 
ous business,  for  the  bearer  would  not  only  pro- 
voke Velasquez,  but  would  risk  his  life  in  passing 
over  to  Hispaniola  in  a  canoe.  Yet  Cortes  impru- 
dently agreed  to  undertake  it.  Velasquez  was 
so  provoked,  that  he  declared  he  should  suffer  the 
punishment  of  death.  Men  were  immediately 
ordered  to  arrest  him.  But  Cortes,  hearing  of  this, 
managed  to  make  his  escape,  and  hid  himself  in 
the  church.  Feeling  safe  here,  he  determined  to 
remain  until  Andres  de  Duero  could  induce  the 


20  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

commander  to  pardon  him.  His  ardor  and  impru- 
dence, however,  soon  revealed  his  hiding-place. 
He  had  formed  an  attachment  for  a  young  woman 
of  good  family,  called  Dona  Catalina  Suarez  de 
Pacheco.  She  lived  not  far  from  the  church,  and 
Cortes  was  in  the  habit  of  meeting  her.  The  offi- 
•cers  knew  this,  and  kept  watch  for  him.  One 
night,  having  left  the  church,  thinking  he  was  un- 
seen, he  was  suddenly  surprised,  seized  before  he 
could  make  any  resistance,  and  led  off  to  prison. 
He  seemed  now  to  have  so  much  sorrow  for  his 
error,  that  Velasquez  was  induced  to  forgive  him. 
Afterwards,  having  married  Doha  Catalina,  upon 
the  birth  of  his  first  son,  he  requested  the  Gover- 
nor to  stand  as  the  god-father.  To  this  Velasquez 
cheerfully  consented,  and  now  they  seemed  as 
warm  friends  as  ever.  Cortes  bore  himself  in  eve- 
Ty  way  kindly  towards  him,  and  lost  no  opportu- 
nity of  making  himself  agreeable  to  him. 

Desirous  of  extending  his  dominions,  Velasquez, 
in  tiie  year  1517,  had  allowed  Hernandez  de  Cor- 
•  cfova  to  sail  with  a  small  expedition  from  Cuba, 
and  he  had  discovered  the  eastern  cape  of  Yuca- 
tan. It  was  an  unfortunate  expedition, — the  com- 
mander and  the  greater  portion  of  his  soldiers  hav- 
ing perished  in  it.  Yet  the  accounts  which  Ve- 
lasquez had  received,  induced  him  to  fit  out  another 
and  more  powerful  expedition.  Four  vessels  were 
at  once  made  ready,  and  Juan  de  Grijalva,  at  the 


HERNAN    CORTES.  21 

head  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  took  the  com- 
mand of  them.  In  a  short  time,  he  discovered  the 
island  of  Cozumel,  and  then  following  in  the  track 
of  Cordova,  coasted  along  the  shores  of  Yucatan, 
trading  with  the  natives,  giving  them  such  trinkets 
as  he  had,  for  gold  and  food.  At  last  he  made  a 
landing  on  the  island  of  St.  Juan  de  Ulua.  The 
Mexicans  upon  the  coasts  were  now  greatly 
alarmed.  They  had  never  seen  such  men  or 
weapons  as  they  now  beheld,  and  they  instantly 
sent  messengers  to  their  chief,  Montezuma,  telling 
him  of  the  arrival  of  these  new  visiters.  Monte- 
zuma was  greatly  frightened  by  their  news.  It  is 
said  that  from  this  time  he  had  no  peace,  living 
daily  in  the  fear  that  his  empire  would  be  taken 
from  him.  The  Spaniards  remained  several  days 
at  the  island,  and  succeeded  in  finding  some  gold. 
Grijalva,  after  making  his  observations,  became 
convinced  that  the  coast  near  by  was  part  of  a 
continent,  and  he  panted  to  land  there  and  push 
his  discoveries.  There  was  danger,  however,  in 
this,  as  he  did  not  know  the  character  of  the  peo- 
ple whom  he  should  meet,  and  the  number  of  his 
men  had  been  greatly  reduced  by  disease.  He 
resolved,  therefore,  to  wait  until  he  could  get  a 
reinforcement  from  Cuba,  and  accordingly  sent  a 
messenger  back  to  Velasquez  to  get  assistance. 
Having  done  this,  he  pursued  his  discoveries  about 
the  province  of  Panuco,  which  he  found  covered 


22  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

(it  is  said)  with  large  and  populous  towns  at  the 
distance  of  three  leagues  from  the  coast. 

In  the  mean  time,  his  messenger,  Pedro  de  Al- 
varado,  had  arrived  in  Cuba,  bearing  specimens  of 
gold,  and  telling  of  the  wonderful  discoveries  of 
Grijalva.  Velasquez  was  greatly  delighted  :  like 
all  his  countrymen  at  that  time,  he  was  thirsting 
for  gold  and  conquests.  His  delight,  too,  was  the 
greater,  because  he  had  heard  nothing  before  from 
Grijalva  since  he  sailed,  and  had  feared  he  was 
lost.  His  fears  had  at  one  time  been  so  intense, 
that  he  had  despatched  a  vessel  under  the  com- 
mand of  Christoval  de  Olid  to  seek  him.  Olid 
had  followed  in  the  track  of  his  companions,  but 
after  being  beaten  about  with  tempests,  had  re- 
turned to  Cuba  without  any  tidings  of  them. 

Alvarado's  story  soon  spread  over  the  island,  and 
multitudes  were  eager  to  join  Grijalva.  The  pros- 
pect of  wealth  and  glory  was  now  fairly  opened 
before  them,  but  among  them  all  there  was  none 
more  excited  than  Hernan  Cortes.  Velasquez  im- 
mediately sent  messengers  to  Spain  with  the  glo- 
rious news  of  Grijalva's  discovery,  and  then  com- 
menced fitting  out  an  expedition  for  the  new  con- 
tinent. The  vessel  was  soon  ready,  and  three 
hundred  volunteers  came  forward,  desirous  of  em- 
barking. Among  these  were  Diego  de  Ordaz, 
Francisco  de  Morla,  Escobar,  and  Bernal  Diaz  del 
Castillo,  who  afterwards  wrote  a  History  of  the 


HERNAN    CORTES.  23 

Conquest  of  Mexico.  Now  came  the  time  for 
choosing  a  leader  for  this  expedition.  Velasquez 
knew  very  well  that  a  good  leader  was  everything 
in  such  an  enterprise,  and  he  was  very  cautious. 
Some  recommended  to  the  Governor  to  appoint 
Vasco  Porcallo,  a  man  of  high  rank,  while  the  sol- 
diers were  in  favor  of  Grijalva.  Others  spoke  of 
Augustin  Bermudez,  and  Bernardino  Velasquez, 
relatives  of  the  Governor,  as  fit  persons,  but  none 
of  them  pleased  Velasquez.  The  truth  is,  the 
Governor  was  jealous.  He  was  desirous  of  ap- 
pointing some  one  who  was  capable  of  leading 
the  enterprise,  and  at  the  same  time  one  who 
would  not  slight  his  authority.  He  was  seeking 
his  own  glory. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  preparations,  Hernan 
Cortes  had  determined,  if  possible,  to  be  the  leader 
of  this  expedition.  He  was  himself  on  good  terms 
with  Velasquez,  but  was  not  willing  to  trust  the 
chance  of  success  to  that.  He  knew  that  there 
were  two  individuals  possessing  more  influence 
over  the  Governor  than  any  others  :  these  were 
Amador  de  Lares,  the  royal  treasurer  of  Cuba,  and 
Andres  de  Duero,  his  secretary  ;  and  these,  fortu- 
nately, were  warm  friends  of  his  own.  He  bar- 
gained with  these,  therefore,  to  procure  for  him  the 
command  of  the  expedition,  promising  to  reward 
them  amply  if  they  should  succeed.  Their  attach- 
ment for  Cortes,  together  with  this  hope  of  reward^ 


24  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

induced  them  to  urge  his  claim  warmly.  They 
declared  to  Velasquez  that  Cortes  (as  he  well 
knew)  was  in  every  way  fitted  to  take  the  com- 
mand— that  he  was  honorable,  prudent,  and  fear- 
less, and  greatly  beloved  by  all  the  Spaniards. 
Velasquez  was  pleased  with  the  thought.  He  felt 
that  Cortes  was  the  proper  man  as  to  ability,  and 
the  thought  that  he  possessed  neither  rank  nor  for- 
tune, prevented  any  jealousy  towards  him.  Cortes 
had  behaved  well  whenever  he  had  been  trusted, 
and  Velasquez  was  convinced  he  might  be  trusted 
now.  Then,  too,  he  remembered  the  friendship 
that  had  been  kept  between  them  since  the  mar- 
riage of  Cortes,  and  naturally  enough  supposed 
that  their  former  difficulty  made  him  the  safer  man 
for  this  occasion.  To  the  great  joy  of  Coites,  Ve- 
lasquez declared  publicly  that  he  was  to  be  the 
leader  of  the  expedition. 

As  soon  as  this  appointment  was  made  known, 
the  disappointed  relatives  of  the  Governor  began 
to  beset  him  with  strange  stories  of  Cortes,  hoping 
to  startle  his  fears,  that  he  might  take  the  command 
from  him.  Nor  did  they  work  in  vain.  They 
succeeded  so  far  in  making  him  jealous,  that  his 
friends  Lares  and  Duero  became  alarmed.  They 
immediately  gave  notice  to  Cortes  of  what  was 
doing,  and  he  as  quickly,  before  the  poison  had 
time  fully  to  work,  made  all  things  ready  for  a  start. 
He  then  went  to  see  the  Governor,  and  had  along 


HERNAN    CORTES.  25 

talk  with  him  about  the  whole  enterprise.  Velas- 
quez was  now  so  much  pleased,  that  on  the  next 
morning,  when  Cortes  was  about  to  sail,  he  went 
with  him  to  the  vessel,  and  they  had  a  warm  and 
affectionate  parting. 

It  was  on  the  18th  day  of  November,  1519,  that 
Cortes  set  sail  from  St.  Jago.  In  a  little  time  he 
reached  Trinidad,  a  small  settlement  upon  the 
island,  and  here  discovered  that  his  enemies  were 
still  at  work  to  ruin  him.  Disappointed  ambition 
is  a  base  enemy  to  deal  with.  Cortes  had  no  soon- 
er sailed,  than  the  kinsmen  of  the  Governor  told 
worse  stories  than  ever.  They  knew  the  jealous 
nature  of  Velasquez,  and  worked  upon  it  freely. 
They  declared  that  Cortes  was  selfish  and  ambi- 
tious, and  would  despise  his  authority  ; — that  he 
must  expect  nothing  but  insolence  from  him.  Ve- 
lasquez for  some  time  felt  easy  ;  for  notwithstand- 
ing his  friendly  parting  with  Cortes,  he  had  given 
commands  to  Diego  de  Ordaz,  one  of  the  adven- 
turers, to  watch  him,  and  report  to  him  whatever 
was  done.  He  felt,  therefore,  that  he  had  a  spy 
upon  the  actions  of  the  leader,  and  this  gave  him 
confidence.  But  these  disappointed  men  worked 
upon  him  until  he  began  to  feel  that  his  spy  would 
prove  faithless.  Then  they  began  to  frighten  him 
in  a  new  way  :  they  hired  a  man  named  Juan  Mil- 
lian,  who  pretended  to  be  an  astrologer,  to  help 
them  in  their  mean  design,  and  this  fellow  prophe- 
3 


26  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

sied  terrible  sorrows  if  the  command  was  not  taken 
from  Cortes.  All  the  suspicions  of  Velasquez  were 
now  roused.  He  knew  the  vessel  was  to  touch  at 
Trinidad,  and  now  he  sent  his  messengers  with  posi- 
tive orders  to  Francisco  Yerdugo,  the  chief  magis- 
trate of  the  place.  These  orders  were,  to  take  the 
command  from  Cortes  and  give  it  to  Vasca  Por- 
callo.  Secret  instructions  were  sent  also  to  Diego 
de  Ordaz  to  assist  in  this  matter.  But,  fortunately, 
the  friends  of  Cortes  had  not  forgotten  him.  Lares 
and  Duero  knew  what  mischief  was  at  work,  and 
they  secretly  sent  news  of  the  whole  to  Cortes. 
He  at  once  understood  the  danger  of  his  position, 
and  understood  as  well  how  to  meet  it.  Knowing 
that  much  depended  upon  making  a  friend  of  Diego 
de  Ordaz,  he  sought  him  immediately.  The  open 
bearing  of  Cortes,  with  his  powerful  persuasions 
and  brilliant  promises,  at  once  won  the  friendship 
of  Ordaz.  So  far  from  aiding  the  commands  given 
toVerdugo,hewentto  the  magistrate  and  convinced 
him  that  it  was  impossible  to  obey  the  commands 
of  Velasquez.  Cortes,  he  declared,  had  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  and  it  was  idle  to  oppose  him.  Some 
think  that  Verdugo  was  bribed,  but  it  is  more  proba- 
ble that  the  great  popularity  of  Cortes  made  him 
afraid  to  attempt  to  carry  out  his  orders.  At  all 
events,  Cortes  was  undisturbed.  To  blind  Velas- 
quez, he  now  wrote  him  a  friendly  letter,  and  then 
set  sail  from  Trinidad. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  27 

Ere  long  he  reached  Havana,  another  settlement. 
Here  he  commenced  beating  up  recruits,  and  gath- 
ering stores  and  provisions  to  strengthen  his  arma- 
ment. This  was  easily  done  ;  multitudes  eagerly 
joined  him.  Cortes  hurried  this  business  as  rap- 
idly as  possible,  for  he  still  feared  the  jealousy  of 
the  suspicious  Governor,  and  expected  every  hour 
the  arrival  of  orders  to  stop  him.  In  this  fear  he 
was  not  mistaken.  He  had  not  yet  completed  his 
arrangements,  when  the  order  came.  Velasquez, 
more  enraged  against  him  than  ever,  because  Verdu- 
go  had  not  obeyed  his  commands,  and  now  certain 
that  Cortes  meant  to  defy  him,  sent  a  messenger 
with  secret  instructions  to  Pedro  Barba,  the  com- 
mander at  Havana,  ordering  him  at  once  to  seize 
Cortes,  send  him  under  a  strong  guard  to  St.  Jago, 
and  then  delay  the  expedition  until  he  should  re- 
ceive further  orders.  The  principal  officers  were 
also  commanded  to  aid  Pedro  Barba  in  arresting 
Cortes.  Fortunately  for  Cortes,  he  was  again  ad- 
vised of  this  plan.  Bartholomew  de  Olmedo,  chap- 
lain to  his  armament,  having  received  from  a  monk 
secret  information  of  the  whole,  informed  Cortes, 
and  he  at  once  prepared  to  meet  the  danger.  The 
two  officers  whom  he  most  feared  as  being  ready 
to  assist  Pedro  Barba,  were  Velasquez  de  Leon,  a 
relation  of  the  Governor  of  Cuba,  and  Diego  de 
Ordaz,  whose  conduct,  notwithstanding  what  had 
passed   at  Trinidad,  was    sometimes   suspicious. 


28  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

Velasquez  de  Leon  was  a  frank,  warm-hearted,  and 
ambitious  young  man,  and  Cortes  easily  won  him 
to  his  cause  by  telling  him  of  the  glory  that  was 
before  him,  and  the  danger  of  any  delay  to  the  ex- 
pedition. As  to  Ordaz,  he  determined  to  get  him 
out  of  the  way  for  a  time,  and  therefore  sent  him 
to  Guaniguanico,  near  Cape  Antonio,  that  he  might 
get  further  supplies  of  provisions  for  the  voyage. 
As  soon  as  Ordaz  had  left,  Cortes  assembled  all 
his  men.  He  now  told  them  of  the  meanness  and 
jealousy  of  Velasquez,  in  trying  to  take  the  com- 
mand from  him  for  no  cause  whatever.  Then  he 
spoke  of  the  foolish  order  for  delaying  an  expedi- 
tion in  which  they  were  all  so  eager  to  embark, 
and  in  which  they  were  all  to  earn  so  much  glory, 
— an  order  he  declared  to  be  the  more  outrageous, 
because  they  had  all  spent  their  own  private  means 
in  equipping  for  the  enterprise.  The  men  were 
greatly  aroused.  They  were  attached  to  Cortes, 
and  they  knew  his  worth  as  their  leader.  They 
begged  that  he  would  never  give  up  the  command, 
and  promised  that  they  would  risk  their  lives  any- 
where, wherever  he  might  lead.  This  was  pre- 
cisely what  Cortes  desired.  He  declared  that  he 
would  be  their  leader,  and  that  he  would  guide 
them  to  that  rich  and  beautiful  country  for  which 
they  were  panting — a  country  in  which  every  man 
should  find  wealth  and  honor.  He  then  took  an 
oath  that  he  would  never  forsake  such  faithful  and 


HERNAN    CORTES.  29 

trusty  followers.  The  air  now  rang  with  their 
shouts.  While  some  cried  out  that  they  would 
stand  by  Cortes  for  ever,  others  uttered  terrible 
threats  against  his  enemies.  He  was  now  fixed  in 
his  command ;  he  had  the  hearts  of  all  his  men. 
They  looked  upon  him  as  a  leader  chosen  by  them- 
selves— their  noble  and  bold  friend  and  companion, 
who  was  to  lead  them  on  to  victory.  Pedro  Barba 
at  once  wrote  to  Velasquez,  telling  him  that  it  was 
impossible  to  fulfil  his  orders  ;  and  Cortes  sent  him 
a  second  letter,  informing  him  that  on  the  next  day 
he  should  sail  from  Havana. 

The  fleet  of  Cortes  now  consisted  of  eleven 
vessels,  one  of  which  was  of  one  hundred  tons, 
three  of  seventy,  and  the  rest  only  open  barks. 
His  followers  numbered  six  hundred  and  seventeen 
persons.  Of  these,  one  hundred  and  nine  were 
sailors  and  mechanics  ;  the  remainder  were  to  act 
as  soldiers.  As  to  regular  soldiers,  there  were 
among  them  all,  only  sixteen  horsemen,  thirty 
musketeers,  and  thirty-two  cross-bowmen ;  the 
others  were  armed  only  with  spears  and  swords, 
the  use  of  which  they  little  understood.  To  add 
somewhat  to  their  strength,  however,  there  were 
on  board  the  fleet  "  ten  cannons  and  four  falconets." 
Instead  of  shields  or  coats  of  mail  to  defend  them 
from  such  enemies  as  they  should  meet,  which 
articles  would  have  proved  heavy  in  a  warm  cli- 
mate, their  leader  had  supplied  them  all  with  jack- 


30  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

ets  quilted  with  cotton.  This  was  the  whole  force, 
with  which  Cortes  was  now  prepared  to  seek  and 
subdue  the  new  continent. 

To  urge  his  followers  onward  the  more,  Cortes 
mingled  with  their  dreams  of  glory,  the  thought 
that  they  were  to  extend  the  religion  of  our  bless- 
ed Saviour.  The  spirit  of  the  age,  and  the  religion 
in  which  they  had  been  trained,  allowed  this  idea, 
and  they  really  supposed  that  their  warlike  expe- 
dition, among  other  things,  was  to  spread  the  gos- 
pel of  peace.  Strange  thought,  yet  it  was  theirs  ? 
The  Spaniards  therefore  hailed  with  enthusiasm 
the  banner  which  Cortes  raised  over  them.  It 
was  a  standard  of  velvet,  richly  embroidered  with 
gold,  bearing  the  royal  arms  and  a  large  cross,  to- 
gether with  this  motto  :  "  Companions,  let  us  follow 
the  cross,  for  under  this  guidance  we  shall  conquer" 


HERNAN    CORTES. 


31 


CHAPTER   II. 


ORTES  having  divided  his 
men  into  eleven  companies, 
and     placed     captains    over 
them,*  they  all  embarked,  and 
on  the  10th  of  February  set 
sail  from  Havana.     Ere  long 
they  came  near  the  island  Co- 
zumel.  The  frightened  inhabi- 
tants, seeing   the    approach  of  the 
^fleet,  fled   from   the   shores.     Nor 
were  they  idly  frightened,  for  they 
soon  felt  the  hands  of  the  plunder- 
ers.    Pedro  de  Alvarado's  company 
'was  the  first  to  land,  and  seeing  in  one 
of  the  temples  an  idol,  beautifully  adorn- 
ed with  gold,  they  instantly  stripped  it, 
and  seized  two  or  three  of  the  natives 
Cortes,  seeing  that  such  rashness  would  at  once  ruin 

*  The  names  of  these  captains,  many  of  whom  were  after- 
wards distinguished,  were  as  follows :  Juan  Velasquez  de  Leon, 
Pedro  de  Alvarado,  Hernandez  Portocarrero,  Francisco  de 
Montejo,  Christoval  de  Olid,  Juan  de  Escalante,  Francisco  de 
Morla,  Francisco  Salcedo,  Juan  Escobar,  and  Gnies  Gnortes. 
Cortes  himself  had  charge  of  one  of  the  companies. 


32  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

his  prospects,  immediately  rebuked  Alvando,  and 
caused  him  to  release  the  prisoners  and  deliver 
up  the  ornaments.  Upon  this  the  natives  lost 
some  of  their  fears,  and  mingled  freely  with  the 
new-comers. 

Cortes  now  observed  that  the  natives  frequently 
used  the  word  Castillano,  and  this  led  to  an  im- 
portant discovery.  He  knew  that  the  word  must 
have  been  learned  of  some  Spaniard,  and  therefore 
supposed  that  one  or  more  of  his  countrymen  might 
be  on  the  island.  After  a  long  search,  he  succeed- 
ed in  finding  one  man,  and  the  poor  fellow  was 
happy  indeed  when  they  discovered  him,  for  he 
had  gone  through  many  sorrows.  He  was  com- 
pletely black,  was  covered  only  with  a  few  rags 
thrown  loosely  over  his  shoulders  and  around  his 
waist,  and  had  grown  to  be,  in  his  manners,  almost 
an  Indian.  Upon  his  back  he  carried  a  small  bun- 
dle, in  which,  among  other  trifles  that  he  had,  were 
some  pieces  of  a  prayer-book.  It  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  he  told  his  story  to  his  countrymen, 
for  he  had  almost  lost  the  use  of  his  native  tongue. 
His  name  (he  said)  was  Geronimo  de  Aguilar. 
He  was  a  native  of  Ecija,  and  had  received  holy 
orders.  Eight  years  before,  he  had  been  wrecked 
on  a  voyage  from  Darien  to  Hispaniola.  He  and 
his  companions  tried  to  save  themselves  in  a  boat, 
but  storms  had  driven  them  upon  the  coast  of  Co- 
zumel,  where  they  were  seized  by  the  natives  and 


HERNAN    CORTES.  33 

reduced  to  slavery.  Some  of  them  had  at  length 
been  sacrificed,  and  many  had  died  of  hard  labor. 
He  had  at  last,  by  the  providence  of  God,  found  a 
friend  in  one  of  the  Caciques,  who  took  care  of 
him  and  treated  him  with  kindness.  Of  all  his 
companions,  one  only  remained  beside  himself, 
and  he  had  joined  the  Indians  and  become  one  of 
their  tribe.  Cortes  immediately  took  this  poor 
fellow  into  his  service,  and,  as  it  turned  out,  he 
proved  a  great  help  in  acting  as  an  interpreter  be- 
tween his  countrymen  and  the  Indians. 

On  the  fourth  of  March  the  fleet  left  Cozumel 
and  moved  towards  the  river  Tabasco.  At  this 
place  Cortes  expected  a  friendly  meeting  with  the 
natives,  inasmuch  as  Grijalva  had  there  been  treat- 
ed very  kindly.  In  this  he  was  disappointed.  It 
seems  that  these  friendly  people  had  been  reproach- 
ed by  the  neighboring  tribes,  for  their  kind  recep- 
tion of  Grijalva.  And  now,  when  Cortes  came  in 
sight,  instead  of  friends  he  found  enemies.  Every 
thing  seemed  warlike.  He  saw  canoes  moving 
about  filled  with  warriors,  and  thousands  of  men 
assembled  on  the  shore  to  oppose  him.  Cortes  at 
once  knew  that  he  was  to  have  a  struggle,  but,  de- 
sirous of  peace  if  possible,  he  requested  of  the  peo- 
ple through  Aguilar,  that  he  might  meet  their  chiefs. 
This  they  promptly  refused,  at  the  same  time  ma- 
king dreadful  threats  against  the  Spaniards.  Cor- 
tes made  no  farther  attempt  to  treat  with  them,  but 


34  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

determined  at  once  to  disembark  near  the  town, 
and  meet  the  difficulty.  Accordingly,  he  kept  on 
his  course  up  the  river.  The  natives,  seeing  this 
movement,  flocked  to  the  spot  where  they  supposed 
he  would  land.  Crowds  soon  covered  the  banks 
of  the  river  in  that  quarter,  shouting  and  making  a 
tremendous  noise  with  their  trumpets  and  drums. 
Nevertheless,  the  fleet  cast  anchor,  and  the  land- 
ing commenced.  Clouds  of  arrows  were  now 
poured  in  upon  them  from  the  land,  while  the  war- 
riors in  their  canoes  opposed  them  fiercely  with 
their  lances.  But  the  resolute  Spaniards  were 
not  to  be  driven  back.  Through  the  water  and 
mud,  they  fought  their  way  in  spite  of  numbers, 
and  reached  the  bank.  This  was  no  sooner  done, 
than  Cortes  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  men, 
and  made  a  tremendous  attack  upon  the  natives, 
which  soon  scattered  them.  He  now  reviewed 
his  troops,  and  found  that  fourteen  of  his  followers 
had  been  wounded.  He  resolved,  therefore,  not 
to  pursue  the  enemy,  but  fixed  his  camp  for  the 
night,  and  posted  his  sentinels  around  to  prevent 
any  surprise. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  news  of  their  defeat  was 
carried  through  the  country  by  the  Indians,  and 
they  rallied  in  strong  numbers  for  another  struggle 
upon  the  great  plain  of  Ceutla.  Cortes  had  ex- 
pected this,  and  prepared  himself  to  meet  it.  His 
horses   (thirteen  only  in  number)  were   brought 


HERNAN    CORTES.  35 

ashore,  the  best  riders  were  mounted  upon  them, 
and  he  himself  took  the  command  of  this  little 
troop  of  cavalry.     His  other  troops  (the  infantry 
and  artillery)  were  trusted  to  the   command  of 
Ordaz  and  Mesa.     Matters  being  thus  arranged, 
he  pushed  forward  to  meet  the  enemy.     Ere  long, 
they  came  in  sight  of  them.     The  whole  plain  was 
covered  with  the  multitude,  and  a  hideous  looking 
multitude  it  was.     With  their  faces  daubed  with 
red  and  black  paint,  and  armed  with  their  shields, 
lances,  bows,  and  slings,  they  were  moving  about, 
making  ready  for  the  battle ;  while  here  and  there  the 
Spaniards  marked  the   chiefs,  with  tufts  of  feath- 
ers on  their  heads,  who  seemed  to  be  urging  them 
on.    The  woods  rang  with  the  noise  of  their  drums 
and  trumpets.     Sweeping  round  the  plain  with  his 
horsemen,  Cortes  managed  to  pass  unseen  to  the 
rear  of  the  enemy,  so  as  to  prevent  any  retreat, 
while  his  other  troops  were  to  move  directly  for- 
ward and  attack  them  in  front.    The  Indians,  how- 
ever, did  not  wait  for  their  attack.     Thinking  the 
first  blow  the  best,  they  gave  it  themselves.     As 
soon  as  they  saw  them,  they  pressed  forward  and 
let  fly  a  tremendous  volley  of  arrows.    The  Span- 
iards for  a  moment  fell  back ;  one  man  was  killed, 
and  twenty  wounded.     The  artillery  troops  now 
rushed  forward,  and  bringing  their  guns  to  bear, 
literally  raked  down  the  Indians.     Notwithstand- 
ing this,  the  Indians  waged  the  light  furiously  and 


36  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

fearlessly,  and  the  chances  of  war  were  in  their 
favor,  until  Cortes  showed  himself.  The  plain  was 
smooth,  and  he  with  his  horsemen  swept  over  it, 
carrying  everything  before  them.  This  decided 
the  day.  The  frightened  Indians  now  saw  that 
resistance  was  idle  ;  they  looked  upon  horse  and 
rider  as  one  tremendous  monster ;  and  such  as 
could,  fled  for  the  woods  and  marshes.  Eight  hun- 
dred of  their  number  were  left  dead  on  the  field, 
while  two  Spaniards  only  had  been  killed. 

This  was  their  second  defeat,  and  now  they 
were  ready  to  submit.  Fifteen  men,  with  their 
faces  painted  black  in  sign  of  sorrow,  were  soon 
sent  to  the  Spanish  camp,  bearing  presents  of  fowls, 
corn,  and  roasted  fish.  Cortes  received  them  with 
so  much  kindness,  that  on  the  next  day  thirty  of 
the  chief  warriors  came  forward  and  begged  the 
privilege  of  burying  their  dead.  This  favor  Cortes 
readily  granted.  He  feared,  however,  that  these 
people  were  treacherous,  and  in  a  little  time  might 
rally  again  to  oppose  him.  As  soon,  therefore,  as 
the  melancholy  duty  of  burying  the  dead  was  end- 
ed, he  assembled  the  people  before  him,  and  threat- 
ened awful  vengeance  if  they  attempted  any  further 
opposition.  To  frighten  them  the  more,  he  caused 
one  of  the  cannons  to  be  discharged,  and  then  his 
best-trained  horses  and  riders  were  brought  out, 
and  various  terrifying  feats  performed  before  them. 
The  frightened  natives  now  looked  upon  the  Span- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  37 

dards  with  amazement  and  reverence,  and  at  once 
promised  fidelity  to  the  Spanish  king.  Not  satis- 
fied with  professions  of  love,  they  brought  to  Cortes 
many  strange  presents,  such  as  toys  of  gold,  made 
to  look  like  dogs,  lizards,  ducks,  and  other  ani- 
mals ;  and  to  prove  their  friendship  with  a  crown- 
ing gift,  they  presented  to  him  twenty  of  their 
women. 

This  last  was  the  most  valuable  present,  for  among 
these  women  there  was  one  who  afterwards  be- 
came known  under  the  name  of  Dona  Marina,  and 
proved  a  great  help  to  Cortes.  She  was  a  female 
of  high  rank  among  her  countrymen — the  daughter 
of  a  cacique  or  prince,  who  held  his  dominions  sub- 
ject to  the  Emperor  of  Mexico.  Unhappily  for 
her,  her  father  died  while  she  was  an  infant.  Her 
mother  afterwards  married  again,  and  having  a  son 
by  her  new  husband,  learned  to  despise  her  daugh- 
ter. Her  feelings  were  so  bitter  towards  the  child, 
that  she  determined  to  cheat  her  of  her  inheritance, 
that  she  might  gain  it  for  the  boy.  Accordingly, 
she  secretly  gave  her  away  to  some  merchants  of 
Xicallanco,  and  at  the  same  time  spread  the  story 
far  and  wide  that  the  child  was  dead.  The  mer- 
chants to  whom  she  was  given  sold  her  to  one  of 
the  chiefs  of  Tabasco,  and  the  chief  now  presented 
her  to  Cortes.  This  woman,  as  you  will  see,  proved 
of  great  service  in  two  ways.  First,  she  acted  as 
an  interpreter  :  understanding  the  Mexican  lan- 
4 


38  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

guage  and  the  Maja  tongue  also,  which  Aguilar  un- 
derstood, she  was  able  to  interpret  between  the 
Spaniards  and  Mexicans.  Then,  too,  she  under- 
stood the  manners,  habits,  and  prejudices  of  the 
natives,  and  was  enabled  to  help  Cortes  to  many- 
advantages,  and  to  guard  him  against  many  dan- 
gers— all  which  she  did  cheerfully,  for  she  soon 
formed  a  strong  attachment  for  the  Spanish  leader. 

Having  thus  brought  the  natives  to  his  own 
terms,  Cortes  prepared  to  leave  Tabasco.  He 
caused  his  men  (together  with  the  Indians,  who 
cheerfully  assisted)  to  erect  upon  the  plain  of  Ce- 
utla  a  large  cross  made  of  the  Cieba-tree,  as  a  me- 
morial of  his  victory  ;  and  then  Palm  Sunday  being 
at  hand,  he  brought  all  the  natives  of  the  neighbor- 
hood together  to  worship  around  the  cross  with 
Father  Olmedo.  The  Spaniards  say,  that  many 
of  these  poor  men  were  at  once  made  converts  to 
Christianity,  and  baptized  by  Olmedo  ;  but  this  can 
hardly  be  believed.  Many  were  baptized,  but 
probably  not  one  of  them  knew  what  he  was  doing. 
They  readily  obeyed  any  wish  of  the  Spaniards t 
and  one  wish  was  that  they  should  be  baptized. 
At  all  events,  in  the  evening  they  parted  good 
friends  to  their  conquerors,  the  Indians  promising 
a  "  perpetual  love  ;"  and  the  next  morning  the  fleet 
set  sail  for  the  harbor  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua. 

Early   in   April,*   they   reached    that    harbor 

*  Robertson  says,  the  beginning  of  April — Bernal  Diaz  says, 
the  21st. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  39 

Scarcely  had  they  dropped  their  anchors  and 
hoisted  their  standard,  when  Cortes  saw  two  large 
canoes,  full  of  people,  coming  towards  the  fleet. 
Two  of  these  people  seemed  to  be  persons  of  note, 
and,  without  any  signs  of  fear,  came  on  board  the 
principal  vessel.  They  spoke  to  Cortes  in  a 
friendly  way,  and  by  means  of  Aguilar  and  Doha 
Marina,  he  was  able  to  understand  them.  They 
were  messengers  (they  said)  from  the  chief  who 
was  trusted  with  the  command  of  that  province  by 
the  great  Emperor  Montezuma,  and  were  sent  to 
learn  what  had  brought  Cortes  to  their  country, 
and  also  to  offer  any  assistance  they  could  render 
him  for  prosecuting  his  voyage.  Cortes,  in  his 
turn,  received  them  very  kindly,  assuring  them  that 
he  himself  was  the  subject  of  a  mighty  king,  and 
had  a  message  of  great  importance  to  deliver  to 
their  sovereign,  which  would  greatly  help  their 
country  ;  and  that  he  had  towards  them  no  thoughts 
but  those  of  peace  and  friendship.  At  his  invita- 
tion, they  then  refreshed  themselves  by  eating,  and 
after  this  they  were  sent  back  to  the  chief,  loaded 
with  quantities  of  toys  as  presents.  The  chief  and 
his  people  were  now  greatly  delighted.  Far  from 
opposing  his  landing,  they  were  ready  to  aid  him 
in  making  it,  and  when  he  ordered  his  men  to  erect 
their  huts  upon  the  shore,  in  this  also  they  cheer- 
fully assisted.  After  a  little  time,  a  number  came, 
bringing  supplies  of  bread,  fowls,  and  fruit,  with  a 


40  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

promise  that  the  governor  of  the  province  would 
shortly  visit  him. 

Accordingly,  on  the  next  day,  their  chief,  whose 
name  was  Teutchlile,  in  company  with  Quitlalpi- 
toc,  another  chief,  came  to  the  Spanish  camp  with 
a  great  train  of  followers.  Cortes  received  them 
with  great  respect,  and  invited  them  to  eat  with 
him.  This  being  over,  he  informed  Teutchlile 
that  he  was  a  subject  to  Don  Carlos,  the  greatest 
monarch  of  the  world,  and  at  his  desire  had  come 
to  their  country  with  an  important  message  to  their 
sovereign  ;  that  the  message  was  such  a  one  that 
he  could  deliver  it  to  no  person  expect  the  Empe- 
ror himself,  and  therefore  hoped  he  might  imme- 
diately be  allowed  to  see  him.  This  greatly  startled 
the  two  chiefs.  They  knew  the  fears  and  appre- 
hensions of  Montezuma  since  the  appearance  of 
strangers  upon  the  coast,  and  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  obtain  the  privilege  which  Cortes 
sought, — and  yet  they  were  afraid  to  rouse  the 
Spaniard  by  a  refusal.  Hoping  to  satisfy  him 
in  another  way,  Teutchlile  at  once  ordered  cer- 
tain rich  presents  to  be  brought  forward,  which  he 
declared  that  Montezuma  had  sent,  in  the  hope 
that  Cortes  would  receive  them.  These  consisted 
of  a  quantity  of  fine  cotton  garments,  plumes  of 
many  different  colors,  and  a  variety  of  toys  made 
of  gold.  The  poor  ignorant  Indian  did  not  know 
that  the  demand  of  Cortes  was  made  only  that  he 


HERNAN    CORTES.  41 

might  reach  the  heart  of  their  country,  and  that  the 
sight  of  his  rich  presents  would  only  excite  him 
the  more,  and  make  him  the  more  determined  to 
carry  out  his  purpose.  Cortes  received  his  pre- 
sents in  a  friendly  way,  and  in  return  gave  them, 
as  presents  for  Montezuma,  some  artificial  dia- 
monds, a  richly-carved  arm-chair,  and  a  crimson  cap 
adorned  with  a  golden  medal  of  Saint  George  ;  and, 
with  this,  demanded  more  earnestly  that  he  might 
he  taken  to  the  Emperor  to  deliver  his  message. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  some  of  the  follow- 
ers of  Teutchlile  were  busy  in  painting  upon  pieces 
of  white  cotton,  pictures  of  the  strangers,  with 
their  ships,  horses,  and  cannon.  Cortes,  hearing 
that  these  pictures  were  to  be  taken  to  Montezu- 
ma, that  he  migrht  learn  something  of  his  new  vis- 
iters,  determined  that  with  them  the  painters  should 
carry  such  a  report  as  should  terrify  the  Emperor. 
Accordingly,  he  immediately  ordered  his  troops  to 
form  in  battle  array,  and  with  great  skill  they  went 
through  their  military  exercises.  Then  his  horse- 
men were  brought  forward,  and  the  Mexicans  stood 
speechless  as  they  looked  at  their  fierce  and  won- 
derful performances.  Next  the  cannon  were  dis- 
charged, and  now  they  were  completely  overcome  : 
some  fled,  while  others  fell  flat  on  their  faces.  It 
was  with  great  difficulty  that  Cortes,  after  a  while, 
succeeded  in  calming  their  fears,  and  bringing 
them  all  again  around  him. 
4* 


42  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

Cortes  now  again  urged  his  demand,  and  at 
length,  with  fair  promises  that  his  message  and 
presents  should  be  delivered  to  Montezuma,  and 
that  he  should  soon  have  an  answer,  Teutchlile 
with  his  train  was  leaving  the  camp,  when  sud- 
denly he  saw  a  helmet  which  he  greatly  desired. 
It  looked  (as  he  said)  like  the  helmet  that  adorned 
the  head  of  Haitzilopochtli,  their  god  of  war,  and 
begged  that  he  might  present  it  to  the  Emperor. 
This  request  Cortes  readily  granted,  and  they  all 
departed.  This  last  gift,  as  you  will  see,  proved 
to  be  a  most  unfortunate  present. 

Before  these  messages  reached  Montezuma,  he 
had  been  greatly  alarmed  by  rumors  as  to  these 
strangers.  It  seems  that  the  Mexican  Empire 
was  managed  with  great  system  in  every  way. 
Along  the  principal  roads,  couriers  were  placed  at 
certain  distances,  and  through  them  news  was 
rapidly  carried  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the 
empire.  In  this  way  he  had  gathered  strange 
stories  of  Cortes  and  his  followers.  At  length  the 
messengers  arrived.  Montezuma  was  pleased 
with  the  presents,  but  their  pictures,  together  with 
their  stories  and  the  helmet,  greatly  increased  his 
alarm.  The  helmet  called  up  in  his  heart  the 
saddest  forebodings.  His  head  was  full  of  super- 
stitions, and  he  saw  in  this  helmet  something 
which  told  him  of  the  end  of  his  empire.  There 
was  a  stransre  tradition  among  the  Mexicans  at 


HERNAN    CORTES. 


43 


this  time,  "  that  Quetzalcoatl,  the  god  of  the  air> 
had  disappeared  a  long  time  ago,  promising  to  re- 
turn after  a  certain  time  to  rule  over  the  people  of 
Mexico."*  Montezuma  fancied  that  these  Span- 
iards in  their  armor  were  like  the  god  of  the  air, 
and  trembled  for  his  authority.  To  the  demand 
of  Cortes  he  gave  a  positive  refusal,  and  yet,  afraid 
to  provoke  him,  to  lessen  his  disappointment,  and 
secure  his  friendship,  he  determined  upon  sending 
him  some  very  rich  presents.  Accordingly,  in  les3 
than  a  week,  Teutchlile  and  his  followers  again 
reached  the  Spanish  camp,  laden  with  these  pres- 
ents. 

As  they  came  into  the  presence  of  Cortes  nowr 
in  token  of  respect  they  touched  the  earth  with 
their  fingers,  and  then  kissed  them.  Their  splen- 
did presents  were  then  brought  forward.  There 
were  cloths  of  cotton  worked  so  finely  that  they 
resembled  silk,  beautiful  pictures  made  of  different 
colored  feathers,  various  toys  of  animals  made  of 
gold,  together  with  collars  and  bracelets  of  the 
same  precious  metal,  pearls  and  precious  stones, 
and,  best  of  all  in  the  eyes  of  the  Spaniards,  was 
an  enormous  plate  of  gold  made  in  the  form  of  a 
circle,  to  represent  the  Mexican  age  of  fifty  years, 
having  the   sun  in  the  centre. f     Cortes  received 

•  Clavigero's  Mexico. 

f  This  piece  was  very  massive,  nor  could  it  be  less  than  ten 
thousand  sequins  in  real  value. — Clavigero's  Mexico. 


44  THE    ADVENTURES  OF 

these  with  great  delight,  and  then  demanded  when 
he  should  see  the  Emperor.  The  messengers,  in 
as  mild  a  way  as  possible,  informed  him  that  Mon- 
tezuma was  not  disposed  to  see  him  at  his  court ; 
that  he  feared  the  Mexicans  would  be  excited  if 
strange  soldiers  were  seen  in  the  capital  of  the 
empire,  and  moreover  that  he  thought  it  dangerous 
for  Cortes  to  attempt  to  reach  him,  inasmuch  as  he 
would  have  to  pass  through  barren  deserts,  meet- 
ing many  hostile  tribes.  Cortes  was  now  more 
decided  than  ever.  He  insisted  upon  being  taken 
immediately  to  the  emperor,  declaring  that  he 
would  never  leave  their  country,  until  he  had  faith- 
fully delivered  the  message  of  his  master  Don 
Carlos. 

The  messengers  were  now  in  a  worse  condition 
than  before.  They  had  seen  Montezuma's  fears 
and  they  now  saw  Cortes'  resolution.  Afraid  to 
offend  either  party,  they  at  last  prevailed  upon 
Cortes  to  remain  with  his  men  where  he  was,  un- 
til they  should  bring  him  a  farther  message  from 
Montezuma. 

Reaching  the  capital  again,  they  found  the  Em- 
peror in  the  same  fearful  state  of  mind,  and  his 
fears  became  greater  when  he  learned  how  Cortes 
persisted  in  his  demand.  It  seems  strange,  that 
this  great  monarch  should  have  been  so  much 
startled  by  the  appearance  of  a  handful  of  strangers 
in  his  kmo-dom.     His  dominions  were  two  hundred 


HERNAN    CORTES.  45 

leagues  from  north  to  south,  and  five  hundred  from 
east  to  west ;  they  were  covered  by  a  numerous 
and  warlike  race  of  men,  and  he  himself  had  almost 
the  complete  control  of  his  people.  Often  had  he 
led  them  on  to  victory,  until  his  name  had  come  to 
be  a  protection  to  friends  and  a  terror  to  enemies, 
and  had  he  at  once  marched  against  the  Spaniards 
he  might  readily  have  crushed  them.  But  the  truth 
is,  he  was  a  slave  to  superstitious  fears,  and,  like 
most  men  frightened  in  this  way,  the  longer  he  look- 
ed at  danger,  the  greater  it  seemed  to  be.  The  poor 
man's  head  was  filled  with  old  traditions,  and 
prophecies,  and  strange  dreams,  and  everything 
seemed  to  tell  him  that  the  end  of  his  great  empire 
was  at  hand.  When  the  messengers  told  him  that 
Cortes  still  insisted  on  seeing  him,  he  was  pro- 
voked as  well  as  frightened  at  his  boldness.  In  a 
storm  of  passion,  he  swore  that  the  Spaniards 
should  never  leave  his  country  ;  that  he  would 
seize  them  all,  and  sacrifice  them  to  the  gods — 
then  his  fears  mastered  him,  and  he  gave  up  all 
thought  of  attacking  them.  Thus  wavering  be- 
tween anger  and  fear,  he  did  not  know  what  to 
do,  and  was  hardly  fit  to  attempt  anything.  At 
length,  he  despatched  his  messengers,  with  posi- 
tive orders  to  Cortes  to  leave  his  country  imme- 
diately, while  at  the  same  time  his  fears  prompted 
him  to  load  these  same  messengers,  with  rich  pres- 
ents once  more  for  the  Spanish  chief. 


46 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF 


CHAPTER   III 


HEN  Teutchlile  again  reach- 
ed the  Spanish  camp,  Cortes 
was  in  the  midst  of  difficulties 
with  his  own  men.  Notwith- 
standing his  great  popularity, 
it  seems  there  were  some  few 
in  his  army  who  were  friends 
to  Velasquez,  and  these  watch- 
ed all  his  movements  very  closely. 
They  had  noticed  that  in  all  his  or- 
ders, and  especially  in  taking  pos- 
Tl  session  of  the  island  Cozumel,  the 
name  of  Velasquez  was  not  even 
once  mentioned,  and  they  now  began 
to  beat  up  friends  among  the  men,  de- 
claring that  Cortes  was  selfishly  ambi- 
tious, thinking  only  of  himself,  and  seeking  his 
own  glory.  Dissatisfied  themselves,  they  mag- 
nified every  little  trouble,  to  make  the  men  dis- 
contented also  with  their  leader.  The  spot  where 
the  camp  was  pitched  was  sandy,  and  swarmed 
with  musquitoes,  and  this  was  spoken  of.     The 


HERNAN    CORTES.  47 

provisions  were  becoming  scanty — the  bread  was 
spoiled — the  bacon  was  rotting — and  they  alarmed 
the  men  with  the  fear  of  starvation.  This  scarcity 
of  food  Cortes  had  himself  noticed,  and  had  pro- 
posed to  seize  on  the  strong  town  of  Chiahuitzla, 
where  they  would  find  supplies.  This  they  com- 
plained of,  saying  that  it  was  risking  their  lives 
for  nothing,  that  they  were  but  a  small  band,  al- 
ready weakened  ,by  disease  and  fatigue,  and  could 
hope  for  no  success  in  such  an  undertaking.  The 
spirit  of  discontent  was  thus  beginning  to  run  high, 
when  the  messenger  arrived  with  positive  orders 
from  Montezuma  that  the  strangers  should  leave 
his  country.  Cortes  received  this  message  with 
great  calmness,  and  tried  to  frighten  the  messen- 
ger, but  Teutchlile  only  treated  him  with  scorn, 
and  left  the  camp  very  angry. 

Now  the  murmurs  among  the  discontented  be- 
came louder.  They  looked  upon  the  message  of 
Montezuma  as  a  declaration  of  war  against  them, 
and  openly  declared  they  were  not  able  to  meet 
it.  Diego  de  Ordaz,  their  principal  leader,  was 
chosen  to  go  before  Cortes  in  their  name,  to  tell 
him  of  the  madness  of  remaining  in  the  country, 
and  that  they  were  determined  to  return  to  Cuba. 

Cortes  received  this  also  with  great  coolness,, 
and  at  once  ordered  his  troops  to  prepare  for  their 
return.  But  the  truth  is,  that  as  these  difficulties 
had  been  increasing,  he  had  prepared  himself  to 


48  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

overcome  them.  He  knew  that  he  had  certain 
strong  friends  around  him.  These  were  Porto- 
carrero,  Sandoval,  Alvarado,Escalante,  Olid,  Lugo, 
and  Bernal  Diaz,  and  to  these  he  had  spoken 
plainly  telling  them  of  the  danger  that  threatened 
the  expedition,  and  they  had  spoken  to  many  of 
the  men.  These  now  came  forward  and  declared 
that  they  could  never  think  of  returning  ;  that  they 
had  spent  all  their  means,  and  left«every  comfort  to 
embark  in  the  enterprise,  and  that  it  was  cruelty  to 
them  to  turn  back  merely  because  some  of  the  men 
were  too  cowardly  to  go  on.  They  called  on 
their  commander  to  lead  them  on  to  victory,  since 
they  were  ready  to  follow,  and  to  let  all  who  were 
not  bold  enough  for  the  adventure,  return  to  the 
Governor  of  Cuba.  This  was  precisely  what  Cor- 
tes desired  and  expected.  In  reply,  he  declared 
that  he  was  ready  and  anxious  to  remain,  and  had 
proposed  a  return  homeward,  only  because  he  sup- 
posed it  was  the  desire  of  his  followers  ;  that  now 
he  was  delighted  to  find  he  had  mistaken  their 
wishes.  Since  they  had  shown  the  fearless  feel- 
ing of  true  Spaniards,  he  was  ready  to  lead  them 
on,  and  should  try  to  prove  himself  a  proper  com- 
mander for  such  brave  adventurers.  These  words 
of  Cortes  had  a  wonderful  effect  upon  the  army. 

Still  his  plan  was  not  yet  completed.  As  the 
friends  of  Velasquez  thought  that  his  authority 
was  slighted,   Cortes  determined  that  he   would 


HF.RNAN    CORTES.  49 

make  himself  in  every  way  independent  of  that 
authority.  For  this  purpose,  he  now,  with  great 
solemnity,  commenced  a  settlement  in  the  country, 
giving  to  the  new  colony  the  name  of  Villa  Rica 
de  la  Vera  Cruz.*  The  men  were  all  assembled 
next,  to  choose  officers  for  the  new  colony  ;  and, 
as  Cortes  expected,  the  authority  was  given  to 
Portocarrero,  Alvarado,  and  Olid,  three  of  his  prin- 
cipal friends.  As  soon  as  these  officers  met  in 
council,  he  came  before  them.  He  began  by  telling 
them  that  they  were  intrusted  with  great  powers 
for  the  good  of  the  settlement,  and  that  he  should 
be  always  ready  to  support  them  ;  and  that  since 
they  were  the  chosen  officers  of  the  people,  he 
could  not  think  it  right  or  proper  that  he  should  any 
longer  keep  the  command  which  was  given  to  him 
by  Velasquez.  He  had  come,  therefore,  to  deliver 
up  his  commission  to  them,  and  was  ready  to  take 
his  place  in  the  army  as  a  common  soldier.  With 
this  he  left  them. 

He  had  no  sooner  departed,  than  the  three  offi- 
cers elected  him  to  the  command  of  the  army,  as 
well  as  to  the  chief  management  of  the  colony. 
Then,  to  secure  the  good  feelings  of  the  men,  the 
whole  army  was  at  once  assembled,  and  they  told 
them  what  they  had  done.  All  the  former  success 
of  Cortes  was  now  set  forth  before  them,  together 
with  his  bravery  and  generosity,  and  the  bright 
*  The  rich  town  of  the  True  Cross. 
5 


50  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

prospects  before  all  those  who  should  follow  such  a 
leader.  The  men  were  greatly  excited.  They 
vowed  their  attachment  to  Cortes,  and  took  an  oath 
to  stand  by  him  at  all  hazards.  Some  few  still 
held  back,  but  they  were  brought  over  by  presents 
and  promises.  Now  the  ringleaders,  Diego  de  Or- 
daz,  Velasquez  de  Leon,  Escobar,  and  Escudero, 
were  more  angry  than  ever,  and  spoke  more  loudly 
against  Cortes,  in  spite  of  all  the  numbers  in  his 
favor.  To  stop  this,  he  instantly  caused  these 
men  to  be  seized  and  fastened  with  fetters.  In  a 
few  days  they  were  set  free,  and  Cortes  offered  to 
send  them  back  to  Cuba  ;  but  they  chose  rather  to 
remain  with  him  now.  Their  discontent  seemed 
at  an  end,  and  all  was  again  quiet  and  peaceable* 
Thus  Cortes  had  managed  to  be  more  firmly  fixed 
than  ever  in  the  hearts  of  his  companions.  His 
difficulties  had  only  aided  him. 

As  they  still  felt  the  want  of  food,  Alvarado  was 
now  sent  with  a  hundred  men  to  scour  the  neigh- 
boring country,  and,  if  possible,  obtain  supplies. 
In  a  little  time,  he  returned  with  good  news,  but 
he  and  his  men  had  been  startled  by  some  things 
which  they  saw.  They  had  passed  through  cer- 
tain villages,  where  there  was  abundance  of  food, 
and  in  one  had  entered  one  of  the  temples  of  the 
natives.  There,  to  their  great  horror,  they  found 
the  bleeding  bodies  of  men  and  boys  who  had  just 
been  sacrificed,  for  the  knife  lay  reeking  with  blood 


HERNAN    CORTES.  51 

beside  them.  It  was  impossible  for  him  to  learn 
anything  from  most  of  the  natives  whom  he  saw, 
for  they  fled  at  the  sight,  of  him.  He  had  met  only 
one  party  who  seemed  friendly,  and  these  were 
laden  with  provisions,  and  seemed  to  be  going 
towards  the  Spanish  camp.  In  a  short  time,  this 
party  came  in  with  their  supplies,  and  presented 
themselves  before  Cortes  as  messengers  from  the 
Cacique  of  Chempoalla,  with  a  warm  invitation 
from  the  Cacique  that  the  strangers  would  visit  him. 

Cortes  received  them  kindly,  but  doubted  at  first 
as  to  accepting  this  invitation,  fearing  there  was 
treachery  in  it.  He  asked  the  messengers  many 
questions,  and  at  length  discovered  that  their  Ca- 
cique, though  subject  to  the  Emperor  of  Mexico, 
was  no  friend  to  Montezuma.  This  was  enough 
to  bring  him  to  a  conclusion,  for  he  at  once  saw 
what  advantage  he  might  make  of  it.  He  there- 
fore  dismissed  them,  thanking  the  Cacique  for  his 
kindness,  and  promising  that  he  would  soon  come 
and  see  him. 

The  spot  where  the  settlement  was  begun  was 
not  a  good  one,  and  Cortes  only  waited  for  the 
arrival  of  Francisco  de  Montejo,  whom  he  had 
sent  in  search  of  a  better,  to  keep  his  promise 
with  the  Chempoallans.  At  the  end  of  twelve 
days  he  came  back,  reporting  that  he  had  found  a 
place  called  Quiabislan,  with  a  fine  harbor  and  a 
fertile  soil.     Cortes  determined  at  once  to  remove 


52  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

his  settlement  there,  and  as  Chempoalla  lay  in  the 
way  to  this  place,  he  was  soon  ready  for  his  de- 
parture. When  the  Spaniards  reached  Chempo- 
alla, they  were  surprised  and  pleased  to  see  its 
large  houses  and  wide  streets  lined  with  beautiful 
trees.  The  meeting  was  very  friendly  between 
the  Cacique  and  the  Spanish  chief.  The  Cacique 
came  forward  with  his  principal  men,  all  dressed 
in  rich  mantles  of  fine  cotton,  adorned  with  gold, 
and  Cortes  at  once  embraced  him.  He  imme- 
diately began  to  complain  of  the  cruelty  and 
oppression  of  Montezuma,  and  expressed  great 
joy  that  the  Spaniards  had  arrived.  Cortes  at 
once  saw  that  the  poor  man  deserved  and  needed 
protection,  and  therefore,  weak  as  he  was  with  his 
little  band,  he  offered  himself  as  his  protector. 
It  was  the  desire  of  the  Emperor  Don  Carlos 
whom  he  served  (he  said),  that  he  should  protect 
the  weak,  and  free  all  who  were  oppressed  ;  that 
he  saw  that  his  wrongs  were  many  under  the 
cruel  tyrant  Montezuma,  and  in  a  little  time  he 
would  see  that  they  were  ended.  With  this  pro- 
mise he  left  the  Chempoallans  greatly  delighted, 
and  pushed  on  to  Quiabislan. 

He  found  this  place  to  be  just  what  Montejo  had 
described  it,  and  immediately  marked  out  the 
ground  for  making  the  settlement.  Then  he  led 
the  way  in  the  work,  carrying  materials  and  dig- 
ging the  ground  for  the  foundation.     His  officers 


HERNAN    CORTES.  53 

and  men  followed  his  example,  the  Indians  readily 
assisted,  and  in  a  little  time,  the  settlement  was 
quite  a  comfortable  place.  While  these  things 
were  going  on,  the  Caciques  of  Quiabislan  and 
Chempoalla  frequently  visited  him,  and  talked  of 
nothing  but  the  tyranny  and  oppression  of  the 
Mexican  Emperor.  They,  had  suffered  much 
themselves,  but  were  particularly  bitter  against 
Montezuma,  on  account  of  his  late  cruelties  in  the 
territories  of  the  Totonacas,  where  they  declared 
multitudes  of  men  had  been  sacrificed  by  him. 
While  they  were  thus  one  day  talking  with  him, 
the  news  arrived  that  the  tax-gatherers  of  Monte- 
zuma had  come  to  the  province  to  receive  the  an- 
nual tax.  Next  came  a  summons  from  these  offi- 
cers to  the  Caciques,  calling  upon  them  instantly 
to  deliver  up  twenty  of  their  men  and  women,  to 
be  offered  as  a  sacrifice  for  their  guilt  in  entertain- 
ing the  strangers,  contrary  to  the  positive  commands 
of  Montezuma.  The  poor  frightened  Caciques 
were  afraid  to  disobey  the  command,  and  thereby 
call  down  upon  themselves  the  wrath  of  the  Em- 
peror. And  yet  they  trembled  at  the  thought  of 
obedience.  Cortes  at  once  relieved  them.  He 
ordered  his  own  men  instantly  to  seize  the  tax- 
gatherers,  and  then  issued  his  proclamation  that 
no  taxes  should  ever  afterward  be  paid  to  Monte- 
zuma. The  cowardly  Caciques  were  now  made 
strong  by  his  boldness.  In  their  rage  against 
5* 


54  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

Montezuma,  they  declared  that  his  collectors  should 
be  sacrificed  to  the  gods,  and  but  for  Cortes  it 
would  have  been  done.  He  had  to  place  a  guard 
of  his  own  soldiers  around  them  to  protect  them. 

The  position  of  these  Caciques  was  now  dan- 
gerous enough.  They  knew  the  power  and  dread- 
ed the  wrath  of  the  great  Emperor  Montezuma. 
His  authority  had  been  defied  in  their  dominions, 
and  they  knew  the  consequence.  They  were 
themselves  startled  at  the  boldness  of  the  Spaniards, 
for  never  before  had  they  seen  the  power  of  their 
Emperor  resisted.  Indeed,  they  looked  upon  the 
strangers  as  supernatural  beings,  and  gave  them 
the  name  of  Teules,  a  title  which  was  bestowed 
upon  their  idols.  Yet  they  rejoiced  while  they 
trembled,  and  knowing  that  there  was  no  escape 
for  them  except  through  the  Spaniards,  they  sought 
their  friendship  more  earnestly  than  ever.  Cortes 
quieted  their  fears  as  well  as  he  could,  by  promis- 
ing them  his  protection,  and  they  in  their  turn 
swore  fidelity  to  the  Spanish  king,  declaring  that 
they  were  no  longer  the  subjects  of  Montezuma. 
The  Totonacas,  who  smarted  perhaps  most  un- 
der his  cruelty,  were  the  fiercest  now  in  their  op- 
position 5  but  the  three  tribes,  all  with  one  accord, 
solemnly  declared  that  they  would  follow  Cortes 
in  his  expedition. 

His  strength  was  now  somewhat  increased,  but 
very  soon  by  his  management  he  made  friends  of 


HERNAN    CORTES.  55 

a  fourth  tribe.  These  were  the  people  of  Cinca- 
pacinga.  It  seems  that  the  Cacique  of  Chempoal- 
la  had  a  bitter  feeling  towards  these  people,  be- 
cause (as  he  said)  of  certain  outrages  committed 
by  the  garrison  there,  and  he  urged  Cortes  to 
march  against  their  town.  The  Spanish  chief  ac- 
cordingly set  out  upon  his  march,  but  as  he  cam© 
near  he  learned  from  the  Cincapacingas  another 
story.  Eight  of  the  principal  men  came  for- 
ward in  great  sorrow,  entreating  him  not  to  molest 
them,  declaring  that  the  Chempoallans  hated  them 
on  account  of  some  old  disputes  about  the  boun- 
daries of  their  territories.  Cortes,  anxious  to  make 
as  many  friends  as  possible,  ordered  that  the  peo- 
ple should  be  undisturbed,  and  that  their  town 
shoidd  not  be  plundered.  Then  he  brought  the 
unfriendly  Caciques  together  before  him,  and  per- 
suaded them  in  his  presence  to  come  to  terms  of 
peace.  Their  quarrel  was  settled,  and  he  had  new 
friends. 

He  was  now  fairly  in  the  country,  backed  by 
the  affection  of  his  own  men  who  knew  his  value, 
and  the  friendship  of  four  tribes  that  looked  to  him 
for  protection  and  loved  him  for  his  justice  toward 
them.*      All  things  thus  far  had  been  managed 

*  Cortes  was  very  particular  just  at  this  time  in  punishing 
any  of  his  followers  who  trespassed  upon  the  rights  of  the  na- 
tives. It  is  said  that  he  even  carried  his  discipline  so  far,  as 
to  order  one  of  his  men  to  be  hanged  for  stealing  some  fowls  in 
a  peaceable  territory,  and  the  poor  fellow  would  have  lost  his 
life  but  for  the  efforts  of  Alvarado. 


56  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

with  great  prudence,  and  it  is  strange  that  we  find 
Cortes  just  at  this  time  guilty  of  an  act  of  great 
imprudence.  His  early  education,  however,  may 
in  a  measure  excuse  it.  He  had  before  this  re- 
buked Alvarado  for  stripping  an  idol  at  Cozumel, 
and  now  he  was  himself  guilty  of  a  greater  outrage 
of  the  same  kind,  towards  the  natives.  He  had 
entreated  the  Chempoallans  to  leave  off  the  bloody 
rites  of  their  religion.  The  priests  were  greatly 
shocked  at  his  proposal,  and  immediately  roused 
the  people  to  oppose  it.  Cortes  now  became  an- 
gry— instantly  ordered  fifty  of  his  men  to  arms, 
and  started  to  invade  the  temple.  The  Cacique 
begged  him  to  do  no  violence,  but  the  Indian  warri- 

oo 

ors  seeing  his  determination,  seized  their  weapons 
for  a  struggle.  Cortes  marched  on  and  ascended 
the  steps  of  the  temple.  Seeing  the  warriors 
gathered  to  oppose  him,  he  seized  the  Cacique 
with  his  principal  officers  and  the  priests,  and  de- 
clared he  would  instantly  kill  them  if  any  resist- 
ance was  made.  The  Indians  now  laid  aside 
their  arms  and  looked  on  with  tears  and  groans. 
Cortes  entered  their  temple — their  idols  were 
thrown  from  the  altars  and  broken  in  pieces.  He 
commanded  then  that  even  the  fragments  should 
be  burned.  The  priests  now  came  forward  in 
their  long  black  mantles,  with  their  hair  reach- 
ing to  the  ground  clotted  with  blood,  and  their  ears 
lorn  and  cut,  gathered  up  the  pieces  and  burned 


HERNAN    CORTES.  57 

them  in  the  midst  of  the  temple.  The  next  com- 
mand was  to  wash  and  purify  the  place  ;  and  afteu 
this  the  holy  cross  was  raised  upon  the  altar,  and 
Father  Olmedo  invited  the  people  to  worship. 
The  poor  Chempoallans  submitted  to  this,  for  they 
were  weak  and  needed  his  protection. 

The  followers  of  Cortes  had  now  been  in  the 
country  nearly  three  months,  and  began  to  grow 
impatient  to  march  toward  Mexico.  He  was  him- 
self as  eager  as  any,  but  had  not  yet  arranged  all 
things  as  he  desired.  The  thought  of  the  oppo- 
sition of  Velasquez  tormented  him,  and  he  was 
determined  if  possible  to  have  the  approbation  of 
Don  Carlos,  the  King  of  Spain.  He  gathered 
his  principal  friends  together,  and  told  them 
that  before  starting,  he  thought  it  best  to  send 
special  messengers  to  the  King  ;  and  that,  to  please 
Don  Carlos,  it  would  be  well  to  send  to  him  by 
the  same  messengers  a  present  of  all  the  treasures 
thus  far  discovered.  These  friends  approved  the 
plan,  and  proposed  it  to  the  men.  Strange  to  tell, 
almost  every  man  willingly  stripped  himself  of  all 
he  had  gained  thus  far  to  swell  the  present  of  Don 
Carlos.  It  was  for  the  common  good,  and  that  was 
sufficient.  Portocarrero  and  Montejo  were  at  once 
chosen  as  the  messengers.  With  positive  instruc- 
tions that  they  should  by  no  means  touch  in  their 
voyage  to  Spain  at  the  Island  of  Cuba,  the  mes- 
sengers set  sail,  bearing  to  Don  Carlos  the  pres- 


58  THE    ADVENTURES  OF 

-ent  and  a  letter  from  the  officers  of  Villa  Rica,  giv- 
ing glorious  accounts  of  Cortes,  and  the  rich 
country  which  he  had  discovered  for  the  kingdom 
of  Spain. 

The  messengers  had  scarcely  left,  when  a  plot 
was  formed  by  some  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  to 
seize  one  of  the  vessels,  sail  to  Cuba,  and  inform 
Velasquez  of  what  was  going  on,  that  he  might 
stop  them  on  their  way.  The  plot  was  so  secretly 
managed,  that  it  was  discovered  just  in  time  to 
prevent  it.  The  conspirators  had  gone  on  board 
the  vessel,  when  one  of  their  number,  named  Co- 
ria,  who  was  about  joining  them,  suddenly  repented 
of  his  treachery,  came  to  Cortes,  and  informed 
him  of  the  plan.  He  immediately  went  on  board 
the  vessel,  and  not  one  of  them  dared  deny  the 
crime.  They  were  all  seized  and  brought  ashore. 
Escudero  and  Centeno,  the  ringleaders,  were  in- 
stantly put  to  death  ;  Umbria,  the  pilot,  had  one  of 
his  feet  cut  off;  and  two  of  the  sailors  received 
two  hundred  lashes.  This  was  terrible  punish- 
ment, but  Cortes  excused  himself  by  the  plea  of 
necessity.  The  rest  of  the  gang  he  spared,  saying 
that  they  were  unfortunately  led  off  by  the  bad 
example  of  the  ringleaders. 

Cortes  was  now  very  unhappy.  This  plot  con- 
vinced him  that  there  were  still  dissatisfied  men  in 
his  camp  ;  that  all  was  not  peace  as  he  supposed. 
He  knew  that  where  this  was  the  case,  troubles 


HERNAN    CORTES.  59 

of  the  same  kind  were  likely  to  occur  again  ;  but 
in  his  anxiety  a  thought  flashed  upon  his  mind, 
that  he  would  prevent  them  for  ever.  A  bold 
determination  was  now  in  his  heart.  He  again 
gathered  his  principal  friends,  and  told  them  that 
he  was  resolved  to  destroy  the  fleet  ;  that  thereby 
he  would  gain  all  the  sailors  for  soldiers  ;  and  that 
his  men,  having  then  no  chance  of  escape,  must 
either  conquer  or  die.  As  usual,  they  approved 
of  his  daring  resolution  ;  the  soldiers  were  talked 
to,  and  many  were  ready  to  join  heart  and  hand  in 
a  plan  which  added  one  hundred  sailors  to  the 
army.  Escalante  was  soon  busy  in  dismantling 
the  ships,  and  the  hulls  were  sunk.  The  skiffs 
only  were  saved,  for  the  purpose  of  fishing.  Thus 
they  were  locked  up  in  the  country.  To  conquer 
or  die  was  truly  all  that  was  now  before  them,  and 
Cortes  at  once  commenced  his  preparations  for 
invading  Mexico. 

Assembling  all  his  men  at  Chempoalla,  he  made 
a  stirring  speech  to  his  army,  telling  them  of  the 
glory  that  was  before  them.  The  force  now  con- 
sisted of  five  hundred  infantry,  fifteen  horsemen, 
and  six  pieces  of  cannon.  To  these  he  added  two 
hundred  Indians  of  a  low  grade,  called  Tamenes? 
who  were  to  act  as  beasts  of  burden,  and  four  hun- 
dred warricrs,  selected,  by  the  request  of  the  Ca- 
cique of  Chempoalla,  from  among  his  troops. 
Then  taking  from  the  Caciques  a  promise  that  they 


60  •  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

would  aid,  as  far  as  they  could,  his  settlement  at 
Villa  Rica,  left  under  the  command  of  Escalante* 
he  was  ready  for  the  march. 

At  this  moment,  a  messenger  came  in  hot  haste 
from  Villa  Rica,  to  tell  him  that  a  vessel  was 
cruising  near  the  coast.  This  startled  Cortes  ;  in 
an  instant  he  supposed  that  this  was  some  ship 
sent  against  him  by  Velasquez.  Leaving  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  to  Alvarado  and  Sandoval,  he 
immediately  set  off,  with  a  small  party  of  horse, 
for  Villa  Rica.  As  he  came  near,  he  marked  the  ves- 
sel at  some  distance  from  the  shore,  and  presently 
saw  in  his  way  four  strange  Spaniards  coming  tow- 
ards him.  It  seems  that  these  men  were  a  part  of  the 
crew  of  the  strange  vessel,  and  had  been  sent  to 
the  shore  by  the  captain,  Alonso  de  Pineda,  to  take 
possession  of  the  country.  The  captain  was  aware 
that  Cortes  was  in  possession,  and  had  given  them 
a  document  to  present  to  him, — which  document 
stated  that,  by  a  royal  commission,  Francisco  de 
Garay,  the  Governor  of  Jamaica,  was  to  have  au- 
thority over  all  the  coast  he  might  discover  to  the 
north  of  the  river  of  Saint  Peter  and  Saint  Paul. 
Three  ships  had  therefore  been  sent  by  Garay, 
bringing  two  hundred  and  seventy  soldiers,  undei 
the  command  of  Pineda,  who  was  just  now  in  the 
river  of  Panuco.  They  presented  the  document, 
at  the  same  time  commanding  Cortes  not  to  come 
upon  the  new  territory  of  Garay.     Receiving  it, 


HERNAN    CORTES.  61 

he  begged  that  he  might  see  their  captain,  and 
make  a  fair  arrangement  with  him,  declaring 
that  they  were  both  subjects  to  Don  Carlos,  and 
seeking  the  glory  of  their  common  kingdom.  This 
they  refused  ;  and  Cortes,  without  hesitation,  or- 
dered them  to  be  seized.  He  then  hid  himself 
with  his  men  all  night  behind  a  sand-hill  near  the 
coast,  hoping  that  more  soldiers  would  be  sent 
from  the  ships  to  look  for  their  comrades,  and  that 
he  might  seize  them  and  persuade  them  to  join 
him.  Finding  himself  disappointed  in  this,  he  now 
employed  a  stratagem  to  bring  them  ashore.  Four 
of  his  men  were  dressed  in  the  prisoners'  clothes, 
and  sent  to  the  coast  to  make  signals.  In  a  little 
time,  a  boat  was  seen  making  to  the  shore.  From 
some  cause  or  other  (suspicion  of  the  plot,  perhaps), 
only  three  men  landed — the  rest  pushing  off,  and 
hurrying  back  to  the  ship.  These  three,  however, 
were  instantly  secured.  Having  now  no  hope  of 
gaining  more  men,  and  little  to  fear,  as  he  thought, 
from  Francisco  de  Garay,  with  his  seven  new 
soldiers  he  pushed  back  to  his  army. 

On  the  16th  of  August,  the  army  commenced 
the  march  towards  Mexico.  For  a  little  time  they 
fared  very  well,  passing  through  Xalapan,  Soco- 
chima,  and  Texotla,  where  the  people  were  inde- 
pendent of  Montezuma,  and  consequently  received 
them  Very  kindly.  After  this  they  came  upon  a 
wild  and  mountainous  region,  filled  with  frightful 
6 


62  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

precipices,  where  no  human  being  lived.  The 
weather  was  extremely  cold,  provisions  began  to 
run  low,  and  withal  they  were  pelted  by  heavy 
hail-storms.  They  felt  now  that  their  hardships 
had  commenced  ;  but,  trained  to  difficulties,  and 
thirsting  for  glory,  they  moved  on  without  a  mur- 
mur. At  length  they  arrived  at  Xocotlan,  on  the 
confines  of  Mexico,  and  were  greatly  cheered  by 
the  change.  The  chief  city  lay  in  a  beautiful 
valley  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  ;  the  lofty  tem- 
ples, and  houses  plastered  and  whitewashed,  rose 
pleasantly  before  them,  and  for  a  moment  they 
thought  of  their  homes  in  the  Old  World.  Cortes 
at  once  sent  a  message  to  the  Cacique,  informing 
him  of  his  arrival ;  and  he  presently  showed  him- 
self, with  a  large  number  of  followers.  The 
Spanish  chief  was  greeted  kindly,  to  all  appear- 
ance, but,  as  he  thought,  not  sincerely ;  and  he 
was  confirmed  in  this  thought  when  he  found  that 
his  troops  were  but  poorly  provided  for.  He  con- 
sidered it  best,  however,  to  make  no  complaints. 
For  five  days  he  remained  at  this  place,  learning 
all  that  he  could  of  Montezuma  and  his  kingdom. 
He  questioned  the  Cacique  very  closely,  and  was 
told  in  reply  that  Montezuma  was  the  most  power- 
ful and  wealthy  monarch  in  the  world  ;  and  while 
he  richly  rewarded  all  his  friends,  his  enemies 
were  always  looked  upon  as  wretched  beings,  and 
sacrificed  to  the  gods.     The  city  of  Mexico,  where 


HERNAN    CORTES.  63 

lie  dwelt,  was  a  strong  fortress,  where  no  enemy 
could  take  him.  It  was  built  in  a  lake,  and  could 
only  be  reached  by  three  causeways,  each  of  which 
had  several  chasms,  which  could  only  be  passed 
by  means  of  wooden  bridges.  The  Spaniards 
heard  all  this  with  perfect  calmness,  and  the  Xo- 
cotlans  began  to  look  upon  them  also  as  Teules,  or 
deities.  The  thought  that  men  could  live  without 
fearing  the  great  Montezuma,  was  to  them  incredi- 
ble. Then  the  skill  of  the  soldiers,  together  with 
the  appearance  of  the  cannons  and  horses,  startled 
the  Cacique  the  more,  and  he  now  showed  a  dis- 
position to  be  very  friendly. 

When  Cortes  was  leaving,  he  seemed  greatly 
interested  in  him,  and  urged  him,  on  his  jour- 
ney to  Mexico,  to  take  the  route  through  the 
province  of  Cholula.  There  were  multitudes  of 
people  (he  said)  in  that  province,  for  the  most  part 
peaceable  men,  living  by  cultivating  the  soil :  there 
the  Spaniards  would  meet  with  a  kind  reception, 
and  find  abundance.  The  Chempoallans,  however, 
were  of  a  different  opinion.  They  now  came  for- 
ward, stating  that  the  Cholulans  were  a  treacher- 
ous race  ;  that  no  man  could  put  any  confidence  in 
them  ;  and  besides  this,  that  their  chief  city  was 
guarded  by  a  garrison  of  Mexican  soldiers.  They 
begged  that  he  would  make  his  journey  through 
the  province  of  Tlascala,  where  the  people  were 
fierce  and  warlike,  hated  Montezuma,  and  would 


64  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

gladly  receive  him  ;  moreover,  that  these  Tlasca- 
lans  were  strong  friends  to  them  and  the  Totona- 
cas.  Cortes,  thinking  the  advice  of  old  friends, 
of  whom  he  had  had  some  trial,  better  than  that 
of  new  ones,  determined  to  go  by  the  way  of 
Tlascala. 


HERNAN    CORTES. 


65 


CHAPTER    IV. 


ENEWING  his  march,  in  a 
little  time  Cortes  reached  Xa- 
lacingo,  on  the  borders  of  the 
hTlascalan  dominions,  and  im- 
mediately prepared  to  send 
messengers  into  their  coun- 
try, to  tell  them  of  his  arrival. 
Four  Chempoallans  of  high 
rank  were  chosen  for  this  purpose. 
Dressed  after  the  manner  of  ambas- 
sadors (with  cotton  mantles  full  of 
^  knots  at  the  ends),  and  bearing  a  long 
arrow  tipped  with  white  feathers, 
the  symbol  of  peace,*  they  departed. 
Contrary  to  all  expectation,  they  were 
received  unkindly.  The  Tlascalans  at 
once  seized  them,  and  prepared  to  sacrifice  them 
to  their  gods.  Fortunately,  through  the  neglect  of 
the  guard  placed  over  them,  they  managed  to  es- 
cape, and  hurried  back  to  the  Spanish  camp  with 
their  awful  story.     The  Tlascalans  were  angry, 

*  An  arrow  tipped  with  red  featheis  was  the  sign  of  war. 
6* 


66  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

and  swore  that  they  would  sacrifice  the  Spaniards, 
and  all  who  should  assist  them,  to  the  gods  ;  and 
were  now  gathering  in  vast  numbers  to  stop  their 
progress. 

This  news  surprised  Cortes.  He  had  supposed 
that  the  warlike  Tlascalans  would  have  welcomed 
him  as  a  strong  ally  to  aid  them  in  their  opposition 
to  Montezuma  ;  and  that,  at  least,  their  friendship 
with  the  Chempoallans  and  Totonacas  would  have 
made  them  his  friends.  He  was  at  a  loss  to  know 
the  meaning  of  their  conduct  :  perhaps  his  mes- 
sengers had  proved  treacherous  ;  possibly  the 
Tlascalans  might  have  supposed  that  he  was  a  se- 
cret friend  to  Montezuma  ;  or  it  might  be  that  they 
had  heard  of  what  he  had  done  in  the  temple  at 
Chempoalla,  and  were  determined  upon  revenge. 
These  thoughts  passed  rapidly  through  his  mind ; 
but  the  truth  is,  he  was  wrong  in  all :  he  had  mis- 
taken the  character  of  the  Tlascalans.  They  were 
a  warlike,  independent  people.  They  had  once 
been  governed  by  kings,  but  had  shaken  off  the 
yoke,  and  formed  themselves  into  a  sort  of  republic. 
They  had  divided  themselves  into  districts  :  each 
district  had  its  separate  ruler,  who  was  elected  by 
the  people,  and  who  represented  his  province  in 
the  general  senate  of  Tlascala.  It  was  not  to  be 
supposed  that  people  who  had  thus  struggled  for 
independence  and  made  a  government  of  their  own,, 
would  receive  a  band  of  armed  strangers  kindly  ; 


HERNAN    CORTES.  67 

and  had  Cortes  known  as  much  of  them,  he  would 
hardly  have  expected  it. 

But  surprise  could  not  help  him.  He  knew  that 
a  struggle  was  before  him,  and,  without  a  sign  of 
fear,  he  rallied  his  men  for  their  march  into  Tlas- 
cala.  Particular  instructions  were  given  to  the 
different  troops  of  his  army,  and  then  their  beau- 
tiful standard  was  raised  before  them.  Cortes, 
pointing  to  the  banner,  cried  out,  "  Spaniards ! 
follow  boldly  the  standard  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
through  which  we  shall  conquer  ;"  and  the  soldiers 
with  one  accord  shouted,  "  On !  on  !  in  the  name 
of  God,  in  whom  alone  we  place  our  trust." 

After  a  march  of  two  leagues,  the  Spaniards 
came  to  a  stone  wall,  which  in  former  days  had 
been  thrown  up  by  the  Tlascalans  to  stop  the  in- 
vaders from  Mexico.  Finding  no  enemy,  they 
easily  crossed  the  wall  and  pressed  on.  It  was 
not  long  now  before  the  advanced  guard  of  the 
army  saw  some  of  the  Tlascalan  troops,  and  had  a 
slight  skirmish.  In  a  little  time,  as  Cortes  came 
forward  with  the  main  body,  three  thousand  Tlas- 
calans rushed  from  an  ambush  and  poured  in  their 
arrows  upon  them.  The  Spaniards  met  this  val- 
iantly. After  an  obstinate  struggle,  the  Indians 
were  forced  to  give  way  and  make  their  retreat. 
Yet  Cortes  marked  that  their  retreat  was  made  in 
an  orderly  and  fearless  manner,  unlike  the  flight 
of  most  of  the  savages  whom  he  had  met ;  and  he 


68  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

felt  at  once  that  lie  had  to  deal  with  no  common 
Indians.  He  began  therefore  to  be  very  particu- 
lar in  choosing  the  spots  where  his  army  should 
halt,  and  guarding  the  encampments  through  the 
night ;  and  gave  special  command  to  the  troops  by 
no  means  to  separate  on  their  marches,  but  to  pro- 
ceed in  solid  and  compact  order. 

The  next  day  he  was  met  by  six  thousand  Tlas- 
calans.  These  instantly  attacked  him,  filling  the 
air  with  their  arrows,  and  making  the  plain  echo 
with  their  yells,  drums,  and  trumpets.  But  the 
cannons  made  sad  havoc  among  them,  and  in  a 
little  time  they  gladly  retreated  to  the  top  of  a  hill 
in  the  distance,  from  which  they  soon  disappeared. 
Following  on,  Cortes  reached  at  length  the  same 
height,  when  the  whole  Tlascalan  army  burst  upon 
his  sight.  The  plain  far  and  wide  was  covered 
with  the  multitude.  Forty  thousand  men  were 
there,  under  the  command  of  Xicotencatl,  the 
general-in-chief  of  the  Tlascalan  republic.  Un- 
dismayed by  the  numbers,  he  commanded  his  men 
to  keep  together  at  all  hazards,  and  commenced 
at  once  descending  the  hill,  amid  nights  of  stones 
and  arrows.  They  reached  the  plain  :  the  cavalry 
and  artillery  were  fairly  brought  into  the  action, 
and  once  more,  after  an  hour's  hard  fight,  the 
Tlascalans  retreated  before  them.  This  was  an 
unfortunate  day  for  the  Tlascalans  ;  multitudes  of 
their  men  were  slain — how  many,  it  is  impossible 


HERNAN    CORTES.  69 

to  say,  for,  like  all  Indians,  they  carried  off  their 
dead  to  conceal  their  losses.  Eight  of  their  chiefs 
fell,  while  two  were  made  prisoners.  The  Span- 
iards had  fifteen  men  wounded,  of  whom  only  ono 
died.  One  of  their  horses,  however,  was  killed. 
The  Indians  carried  the  body  away  in  triumph, 
and,  cutting  it  in  pieces,  sent  parts  of  it  to  all  the 
cities  of  Tlascala. 

Though  victorious,  Cortes  was  not  satisfied  with 
this  hard  struggle.  The  loss  of  one  man  was 
sorely  felt  by  him  ;  and  he  felt,  moreover,  that  if 
other  nations  should  by  any  chance  join  the  Tlas- 
calans,  there  was  no  hope  of  success  to  his  enter- 
prise. He  desired  peace,  therefore,  and  accord- 
ingly sent  his  two  prisoners  to  their  countrymen 
with  offers  of  peace.  To  this  friendly  message, 
Xicotencatl  only  sent  back  this  bold  answer  : — - 
"  Bid  them  proceed  to  Tlascala,  where  the  peace 
they  shall  meet  from  us  shall  be  displayed  by  the 
sacrifice  of  their  hearts  and  blood  to  the  gods,  and 
of  their  bodies  to  our  feasts." 

Cortes  now  very  coolly  informed  his  men  that 
they  were  to  make  ready  for  another  battle  ;  and 
all  that  night  they  were  busy  in  preparing  their 
arms,  ammunition,  &c,  and  in  making  confession 
of  their  sins,  and  other  acts  of  devotion.  When 
morning  dawned,  they  resumed  their  march, 
even  the  wounded  men  taking  their  places  in  the 
ranks.     Ere  long-,  they  came  again  in  sight  of  the 


70  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

Tlascalan  army.  It  covered  the  plain  for  two 
leagues  :  there  were  no  less  than  fifty  thousand 
men  now  gathered  to  oppose  them  ;  the  army  was 
made  up  of  five  divisions,  each  division  being  under 
the  command  of  a  chief,  and  the  whole  led  on  by 
the  general  Xicotencatl.  His  banner,  bearing  a 
large  white  bird  like  a  spread  ostrich,  was  proudly 
carried  before  him.  As  the  Spaniards  came  near, 
the  Indians  commenced  the  battle  with  a  tremen- 
dous discharge  of  arrows,  darts,  and  stones,  and 
then,  amid  shouts  and  yells  as  usual,  rushed  di- 
rectly upon  them.  The  artillery-men  at  once 
opened  their  cannons  upon  them,  while  the  mus- 
keteers and  crossbow-men  kept  up  a  continual  fire, 
literally  cutting  down  the  multitude  in  heaps.  Still 
the  raging  Tlascalans  pushed  onward  without  fear, 
and  succeeded,  for  a  moment,  in  breaking  through 
the  Spanish  lines.  It  required  all  the  courage  and 
skill  of  Cortes  to  bring  his  men  back  to  their  po- 
sition. The  cavalry  now  rushed  over  the  plain, 
sweeping  down  masses  before  them.  Yet  the 
brave  Tlascalans  pressed  on  with  their  numbers. 
Wherever  a  man  fell  dead,  it  seemed  another 
arose  with  fiercer  spirit  to  revenge  his  death. 
Thus  the  battle  raged  furiously  on  both  sides.  At 
length  it  was  seen  by  the  Tlascalans  that  one  of 
their  divisions  kept  out  of  the  fight,  nor  could  be 
pressed  into  it — the  chief  who  headed  it  being  pro- 
voked with  Xicotencatl.     This  discouraged  them  : 


HERNAN    CORTES.  71 

they  began  to  fall  back,  when  one  of  their  princi- 
pal chiefs  fell  dead,  and  they  were  completely  dis- 
mayed— the  battle  was  ended.  But  for  these  cir- 
cumstances, with  all  his  skill  and  courage,  Cortes 
had  hardly  prevailed  against  such  numbers.  It  is 
very  remarkable  that  in  this  fierce  struggle  the 
Spaniards  had  only  one  man  killed.  Seventy  of 
their  men,  however,  together  with  all  their  horses, 
were  wounded.  Some  died  of  their  wounds  after- 
wards. 

On  the  next  morning,  Cortes  sent  another  mes- 
sage to  the  Tlascalans,  demanding  that  he  should 
be  allowed  to  pass  quietly  through  their  territory, 
and  threatening  to  desolate  their  whole  country  if 
they  refused.  But  their  fierce  chiefs  were  not 
frightened  :  they  did  not  yet  feel  that  they  were 
conquered,  and  determined  to  try  his  strength 
again.  They  now  called  together  their  priests, 
and  demanded  of  them  what  could  be  the  cause 
of  their  terrible  defeat,  and  in  what  way  they  were 
to  drive  the  invaders  from  their  country.  After 
performing  many  rites  and  sacrifices,  the  priests 
came  forward  and  declared  that  the  Spaniards 
were  men  like  themselves,  but  were  created  by 
the  heat  of  the  sun  in  the  regions  of  the  East ; 
that  during  the  day  they  were  not  to  be  conquered, 
because  they  were  guarded  by  the  sun  :  at  night 
they  were  not  thus  protected,  and  might  then  be 
easily  overcome. 


72  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

The  Tlascalans  made  ready  again.  Num- 
bers soon  gathered  themselves,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Xicotencatl,  for  an  attack  at  night.  As 
they  drew  near  the  Spanish  camp,  the  sentinels 
marked  them,  the  alarm  was  given,  the  cavalry 
rushed  forth,  and  after  another  fight  the  astonished 
Tlascalans  fled  in  dismay.  They  were  now  con- 
vinced that  the  Spaniards  were  Teules — the  mul- 
titudes began  to  cry  out  that  it  was  time  to  make 
peace  ;  that  the  Spaniards  were  invincible.  Anoth- 
er fierce  message  came  from  Cortes,  and  the  senate 
was  willing  to  have  peace.  Xicotencatl,  in  a 
rage,  refused  for  a  long  time  to  come  to  any  terms  ; 
he  was  not  used  to  being  conquered  ;  but  at  last 
his  proud  spirit  bent,  and  he  consented  to  lay  down 
his  arms. 

They  were  now  at  a  loss  to  settle  how  they 
should  approach  the  Spanish  chief ;  they  did  not 
know  what  to  think  of  him.  He  must  be  gentle 
and  kind,  for  he  sometimes  released  his  prisoners 
of  war,  contrary  to  their  way  of  sacrificing  and 
eating  them  ;  then  again  they  thought  he  must  be 
cruel  and  bloodthirsty,  for  they  remembered  that 
fifty  spies  sent  out  by  Xicotencatl  had  once  ap- 
proached his  camp  too  closely,  and,  by  his  order, 
their  hands  were  instantly  cut  off.  Then,  too,  his 
fierce  messages,  and  the  tremendous  slaughter  that 
he  had  made  among  them,  were  calculated  to 
frighten  them.    At  length,  forty  of  their  chief  men 


HERNAN    CORTES.  73 

were  started  off,  loaded  with  a  variety  of  presents, 
some  of  which  they  hoped  might  please  him, 
whatever  he  might  be.  As  they  came  near,  one 
of  them  advanced  to  Cortes,  and  said  :  "  If  you 
are  Teales,  as  it  is  said,  and  desire  human  sac- 
rifices, take  the  flesh  of  these  slaves  and  eat :  shed 
their  blood  and  drink.  If  you  are  gods  of  a  kind 
nature,  here  is  a  gift  of  incense  and  feathers ;  and 
if  you  are  men,  we  bring  you  meat  and  bread  for 
your  nourishment."  Soon  after  this,  a  large  num- 
ber of  Tlascalans  were  seen  approaching.  Cortes 
supposed  that  they  were  coming  for  purposes  of 
peace,  yet  instantly  ordered  his  men  to  arms. 
Four  of  them  now  came  forward  with  marks  of 
profound  respect,  and  offered  him  incense.  They 
came,  on  the  part  of  the  Tlascalan  senate,  to  make 
peace  with  him  and  his  people.  The  Tlascalans 
(they  declared)  had  opposed  them  only  because 
they  thought  they  were  the  friends  of  the  cruel 
tyrant  Montezuma,  and  were  now  sorry  for  it : 
they  begged  that  they  might  be  taken  under  the 
protection  of  Cortes.  The  Spanish  chief  quickly 
accepted  their  terms,  and  offered  his  protection 
and.  friendship  to  the  whole  republic.  On  the  23d 
of  September  (thirty-four  days  after  reaching  their 
territory),  he  triumphantly  entered  the  city  of  Tlas- 
cala,  the  capital  of  their  empire. 

It  was  fortunate  for  Cortes  that  the  war  was 
thus  ended,  for  some  of  his  men  were  beginning 
7 


74  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

to  be  dissatisfied  ;  they  had  borne  very  cruel  hard- 
ships. Every  night  half  of  them  were  on  guard, 
while  the  other  half  only  slept  on  their  armor, 
ready  to  start  up  at  any  cry  of  danger.  Fifty-five 
had  perished  since  they  entered  the  country,  many 
were  sick  with  diseases  of  the  climate,  and  many 
were  suffering  from  their  wounds.  Cortes  was 
himself  unwell,  though  he  did  not  confess  it.  The 
number  and  fierceness  of  the  Tlascalans,  while  it 
surprised  all,  had  alarmed  some,  and  these  lived  in 
the  continual  fear  that  they  would  be  taken  and 
sacrificed  to  the  gods.  It  is  not  surprising,  there- 
fore, that  murmurings  commenced,  and  that  many 
begged  that  they  might  return  to  Cuba.  But  when 
the  Tlascalans  surrendered,  all  were  animated 
with  new  courage.  Then  the  earnest  friendship 
and  submission  of  the  Tlascalans  (for  Cortes  was 
received  very  warmly  in  their  capital)  roused  their 
drooping  spirits  the  more.  It  is  said  that  these 
Indians  even  reverenced  the  Spaniards  now,  saying 
that  they  were  born  in  heaven.  Certain  it  is  that 
the  horses  and  riders  were  looked  upon  as  super- 
natural monsters :  they  believed  that  these  monsters 
devoured  men  in  battle,  and  that  the  neighing  .of 
the  horses  was  their  call  for  prey.  Even  when 
all  was  explained  to  them,  they  still  held  this  be- 
lief. Their  kindness  and  fears  together  drove 
away  all  discontent  from  the  murmurers.     No  man 


HERNAN    CORTES.  75 

sighed  longer  for  the  home  left  behind  :  all  were 
greedy  for  the  glory  before  them. 

The  submission  of  the  Tlascalans  prompted 
Cortes  to  speak  to  them  about  giving  up  their  re- 
ligion, with  all  its  bloody  rites  ;  for,  strange  as  it 
may  seem  when  we  look  at  some  of  his  acts,  Cortes 
never  lost  sight  of  the  thought  that  the  spread  of 
the  gospel  was  a  part  of  the  business  of  his  enter- 
prise. The  Tlascalans  refused,  saying  that  while 
"  the  God  of  the  Spaniards  might  be  very  great, 
they  trusted  in  the  gods  of  their  forefathers."  Upon 
this  he  was  angry,  and  instantly  prepared  to  carry 
out  such  a  plan  as  before  in  the  temple  at  Chem- 
poalla.  But  Father  Olmedo  entreated  that  this 
might  not  be  done.  He  declared  that  this  was  not 
the  way  to  spread  the  gospel,  and  that  he  had 
looked  on  with  horror  at  the  scene  in  Chempoalla. 
Alvarado,  Velasquez  de  Leon,  and  Lugo  joined  in 
the  entreaty,  and  Cortes  was  at  last  persuaded  not 
to  attempt  it  His  anger,  however,  served  one 
good  purpose.  In  the  temples  there  were  some 
poor  wretches  kept  in  cages,  fattening  for  sacri- 
fices, and  Cortes  caused  all  these  to  be  set  free. 

Having  allowed  his  men  sufficient  time  to  rest 
at  Tlascala,  Cortes  determined  to  resume  his  march 
for  Mexico.  Some  Mexicans  now  came  forward 
and  urged  him  to  march  through  Cholula,  a  large 
town,  where  he  would  be  kindly  received.  But  the 
Tlascalans  were  opposed  to  this ;  they  declared 


76  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

that  the  Cholulans  were  a  treacherous  people,  de- 
voted entirely  to  the  interests  of  Montezuma,  and 
that  he  would  necessarily  find  himself  there  in  the 
midst  of  enemies.  Still  Cortes  resolved  to  pass 
through  Cholula.  He  was  anxious  to  please  the 
Mexicans,  and  at  the  same  time  to  teach  the  Tlas- 
calans  that  he  feared  no  enemy,  whether  concealed 
or  open.  With  six  thousand  Tlascalans,  therefore, 
in  addition  to  his  former  numbers,  he  started  for 
Cholula. 

This  town  of  Cholula  was  greatly  celebrated  for 
the  temple  of  Quetzalcoatl  that  stood  there.  It  was 
looked  upon  as  the  most  sacred  temple  of  the  em- 
pire. Multitudes  of  pilgrims  continually  went 
there,  and  the  sacrifices  were  almost  daily.  It  is 
said  that  the  Indians  believed  that  this  temple  was 
built  over  secret  springs  of  water,  and  that  by 
pulling  it  down,  these  springs  would  burst  forth 
into  great  rivers,  and  flood  the  whole  surrounding 
country*  Some  have  supposed  that  this  belief 
prompted  the  Mexicans  to  advise  Cortes  to  go 
there  :  the  secret  springs  of  Quetzalcoatl  were  to 
be  let  loose,  and  prove  the  sure  destruction  of 
himself  and  his  army. 

As  Cortes  came  near  this  town,  the  chiefs  and 

priests  marched  out  to  meet  him,  bearing  censers 

in  their  hands,  and  accompanied  by  a  band  of 

music.     They  received  the  Spaniards  with  pro^ 

*  Torquemada  ;  Clavigero. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  77 

found  respect ;  but  when  they  saw  the  Tlascalans, 
they  told  Cortes  plainly  that  all  might  enter  their 
city  except  these,  their  old  and  bitter  enemies. 
Cortes  did  not  object  to  this  ;  and  at  once  ordering 
the  Tlascalans  to  remain  encamped  outside,  with 
great  ceremony  he  entered  Cholula.  It  was  not  a 
great  while  now  before  he  began  to  be  dissatisfied, 
and  to  suspect  that  the  Tlascalans  were  right  as  to 
the  character  of  these  people  ;  supplies  of  provis- 
ions began  to  be  scantily  furnished,  and  at  last  the 
Spaniards  were  left  with  nothing  but  wood  and 
water.  Ere  long,  some  of  the  Chempoallans  came 
to  him  and  said  that  they  had  found  secret  pitfalls 
near  the  Spanish  camp.  These  were  large  holes 
dug  in  the  ground,  having  sharp  stakes  at  the  bot- 
tom, and  covered  over  loosely  with  earth.  "  Then 
some  of  the  Tlascalans  entered  the  city  in  disguise, 
and  informed  him  that  they  had  seen  large  num- 
bers of  women  and  children,  loaded  with  valuable 
things,  leaving  the  city  by  night ;  moreover,  that 
six  children  had  just  been  sacrificed  in  the  temple, 
and  this  was  a  sure  sign  that  the  Cholulans  in- 
tended something.  Besides  this,  they  had  observed 
that  many  stones  and  darts  had  been  collected  on 
the  tops  of  the  temples.  All  this  roused  his  sus- 
picions very  strongly.  At  length,  Dona  Marina 
came  to  him  with  certain  information.  She  had 
learned  the  whole  plan  of  the  conspiracy.  It  seems 
that  a  Cholulan  lady  of  high  rank  had  become 
7* 


78  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

attached  to  her,  and,  desirous  of  saving  Her  life,  told 
her  of  the  plot,  that  she  might  escape.  Twenty 
thousand  Mexicans  were  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  city,  ready  at  a  certain  signal  to  join  the  Cho- 
lulans  in  the  general  massacre  of  the  Spaniards. 
Cortes  instantly  ordered  some  of  the  chief  priests 
to  be  seized  ;  and  when  they  discovered  that  the 
Spaniards,  or  Teules,  as  they  called  them,  knew 
everything,  they  confessed  the  whole.  The  en- 
mity and  treachery  of  the  Cholulans  were  now 
certain. 

In  his  indignation  and  rage,  at  the  first  moment, 
Cortes  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  ;  at  the  next,  he 
resolved  upon  signal  vengeance.  No  time  was 
to  be  lost.  His  principal  officers  were  at  once 
called  together  and  told  of  the  danger  which  threat- 
ened  them,  and  his  determination  to  be  revenged* 
Some  were  for  retreating  to  Tlascala,  but  most  of 
them  were  ready  heart  and  hand  to  join  Cortes  in 
his  plan.  He  immediately  ordered  the  Tlascalans 
to  storm  the  city  at  the  dawn  of  the  next  day,  and 
to  spare  nothing  but  the  women  and  children  ;  and 
then  informed  the  Cholulans  that  he  intended  to 
resume  his  march  on  the  following  morning. 

These  last  were  greatly  delighted  on  hearing 
this,  and  they  made  haste  to  carry  out  their  plot. 
At  the  break  of  day,  the  chiefs,  with  forty  Cholu- 
lans, came  into  the  open  square  in  front  of  the 
Spanish  encampment,  and  presently  an  immense 


HERNAN    CORTES.  79 

number  of  troops  rushed  in  and  joined  them. 
Cortes  now  mounted  his  horse  and  addressed 
them,  telling  them  of  the  blackness  and  extent  of 
their  treachery.  He  knew  all  about  it :  the  Span- 
iards (he  said)  had  entered  their  city  under  a 
promise  of  friendship,  and  since  their  entrance 
had  not  done  one  unkind  act  towards  the  Cholu- 
lans  ;  that  they  had  behaved  peaceably,  and  in 
every  way  proved  that  they  meant  no  harm  ;  that 
at  their  request  he  had  even  ordered  a  part  of  his 
army  (the  Tlascalans)  to  keep  outside  of  the  city  ; 
and  he  now  understood  very  well  what  they  meant 
by  that  request — it  was  only  made  to  separate  the 
Spaniards  from  their  friends,  that  they  might  the 
more  easily  destroy  them.  "  If  (cried  Cortes)  you 
had  a  natural  hatred  to  men  from  whom  you  hack 
received  no  wrong,  why  not  oppose  us  manfully 
and  bravely  in  the  field,  like  the  Tlascalans,  in- 
stead of  resorting  to  means  so  cowardly  and  so 
treacherous  to  show  your  hatred  and  effect  our  de- 
struction? The  victory  which  your  gods  have 
promised  you,  is  beyond  their  power  ;  the  bloody 
sacrifices  which  you  expected  to  offer  up  to  them, 
cannot  be  accomplished  ;  and  the  end  of  this  dark 
plot  will  only  be  to  turn  the  intended  ruin  against 
the  guilty  heads  of  its  contrivers." 

The  chiefs  were  completely  confounded  ;  they 
did  not  deny  what  he  said,  but  at  once  commenced 
making  excuses,  saying  that  all  was  done  by  the 


80  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

order  of  Montezuma.  But  Cortes  would  have  no 
excuse.  He  instantly  ordered  a  musket  to  be  fired  ; 
this  was  the  signal  to  his  men.  The  Spaniards 
sprang  upon  them,  and  the  slaughter  commenced  ; 
the  whole  square  was  soon  a  scene  of  horror. 
Multitudes  were  slain  upon  the  spot,  while  some 
who  fled  only  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enraged 
Tlascalans,  who  were  now  pouring  into  the  city. 
Some  rushed  to  the  temple  of  Quetzalcoatl  and 
razed  it  to  the  ground,  hoping  that  the  waters 
would  burst  out  and  drown  the  Spaniards.  But 
the  rivers  would  not  flow.  They  were  in  despair. 
Other  temples  were  filled  with  crowds,  entreating 
the  gods  to  save  them.  The  Spaniards  now  sal- 
lied from  their  quarters,  and  swept  the  streets  with 
their  artillery,  literally  piling  them  with  the  dead. 
Then  they  rushed  to  the  temples,  and  demanded 
the  poor  wretches  there  to  surrender.  A  proud 
and  scornful  answer  was  sent  back  to  the  sum- 
mons :  the  temples  were  soon  wrapped  in  flames  ; 
the  Spaniards  pressed  on,  and  fire  and  sword  soon 
completed  the  massacre.  It  is  said  that  only  one 
man  surrendered  ;  the  rest  choosing  even  to  perish 
in  the  flames,  or  to  throw  themselves  from  the 
tops  of  the  temples.  Cholula  was  desolate:  the 
streets  rolled  with  the  blood  of  six  thousand  men  ; 
dead  bodies  and  half-burnt  corpses  lay  scattered 
throughout  them. 

This  horrid  slaughter  being  ended,  the  Spaniards 


HERNAN    CORTES.  81 

and  Tlascalans  now  commenced  plundering  the 
houses  and  stripping  the  temples  of  all  that  was 
left.  The  savage  ferocity  of  these  last  was  almost 
beyond  bounds.  At  length  the  heart  of  Cortes  was 
moved  with  pity  ;  he  looked  upon  the  scene  of 
havoc  with  horror.  He  now  ordered  Xicotencatl, 
who  was  there  with  twenty  thousand  men,  to  leave 
the  place,  as  he  should  need  him  no  longer  ;  and 
then  issued  his  proclamation,  promising  pardon  to 
all  who  had  escaped  the  massacre,  and  inviting 
them  to  return  to  their  homes.  Some  were  now 
seen  creeping  from  the  masses  of  the  dead,  where 
they  had  lain  wounded,  and  women  and  children 
came  in  from  the  mountains  where  they  had  fled. 
The  Tlascalans  were  made  to  deliver  up  all  their 
prisoners,  and  peace  was  established  between  them 
and  the  Cholulans,  Cortes  then  appointed  a  brother 
of  the  late  Cacique  (who  had  been  killed  in  the 
massacre)  to  rule  over  the  city,  and  in  sorrow  de- 
clared to  the  Cholulans  who  were  left,  that  the 
treacherous  conduct  of  their  people  had  alone 
forced  him  to  this  terrible  work  of  slaughter. 

Well  might  Cortes  be  sorry  for  what  was  done. 
Six  thousand  of  his  fellow-beings  lay  butchered  be- 
fore him.*  All  that  can  be  said  for  him  is,  that  he 
may  have  thought  his  conduct  necessary  for  his 
own  safety,  and  perhaps  the  Tlascalans  carried 

*  It  is  idle  for  Antonio  de  Solis  to  attempt  to  justify  the 
action  of  Cortes ;  it  is  not  to  be  justified. 


82  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

the  slaughter  further  than  he  intended.  Yet  this, 
which  is  all,  is  but  a  poor  excuse  for  him.  Per- 
haps it  was  his  sorrow  which  prompted  him  ear- 
nestly to  beg  the  Cholulans  to  leave  off  their  bloody 
sacrifices  and  receive  the  Christian  religion,  and 
when  they  refused,  to  violate  their  temples  no  fur- 
ther than  by  setting  free  the  poor  wretches  fastened 
in  the  cages  for  sacrifices. 


HERNAN    CORTES. 


83 


CHAPTER    V. 


remaining  a  fortnight 


S^   FTER 

at  the  unfortunate  town  of 
Cholula,  Cortes  prepared  to 
march  on  ;  but,  before  start- 
up ing,  called  his  officers  togeth- 
er, and  determined  upon  send- 
ing a  messenger  to  Montezu- 


ma, to  tell  him  that  he  was 
coming.  The  messenger  was  like- 
wise directed  to  inform  him  that  the 
C  Cholulans  charged  him  with  the 
guilt  of  their  conspiracy,  but  that 
the  Spanish  general  could  not  be- 
lieve them,  for  he  could  not  think  that 
he  would  thus  attempt  to  murder  men 
"  ^|§  who  had  done  him  no  harm  ;  that  he 
had  heard  that  Montezuma  was  a  powerful  king, 
and  thought  if  he  had  any  unkind  feeling  towards 
him,  he  would  meet  him  boldly  in  the  open  field,  and 
not  resort  to  the  cowardly  meanness  of  stratagem  ; 
moreover,  that  the  Spaniards  were  ready  for  any 
difficulty,  whether  their  enemies  were  secret  or 
open. 


84  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

The  messenger  found  Montezuma  very  unhappy. 
The  news  of  the  massacre  at  Cholula  completely 
overcame  him.  He  could  not  think  without  hor- 
ror of  allowing  the  Spaniards  to  enter  his  capital ; 
and  yet  (poor  undecided  man  !)  in  his  fright  and 
sorrow,  he  returned  an  answer,  inviting  Cortes  to 
visit  his  city,  and  solemnly  declaring  that  he  had 
no  part  in  the  guilt  of  the  Cholulans.  The  mes- 
senger had  scarcely  left,  before  he  began  to  mourn 
bitterly  over  what  he  had  done. 

In  the  mean  time,  Cortes  had  left  Cholula,  and 
was  rapidly  advancing  towards  Mexico.  He  met 
with  no  opposition  by  the  way.  Wherever  he 
passed,  the  people  cheered  him  on  ;  everywhere 
he  heard  from  them  bitter  complaints  of  the  tyran- 
ny of  Montezuma,  mingled  with  prayers  that  he 
would  deliver  them.  The  Spaniards  felt  great 
joy  :  they  saw  that  the  empire  was  divided  ;  that 
the  people,  even  in  the  very  neighborhood  of  the 
capital,  were  dissatisfied  and  ready  to  rise.  Press- 
ing on  with  renewed  spirit,  they  at  length  reached 
the  top  of  Ithualco,  when  the  beautiful  valley  of 
Mexico  burst  upon  their  sight.  Now  they  were 
greatly  delighted.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see, 
rich  meadows,  cultivated  fields,  and  beautiful  for- 
ests covered  the  plain.  In  the  midst,  like  a  sheet 
of  silver,  lay  the  lake  Tezcuco,  skirted  around  with 
pretty  villages  ;  while  from  its  centre  rose  glitter- 
ing in  the  sun  the  lofty  temples  and  turrets  of  the 


HERNAN    CORTES.  85 

city  of  Mexico.  They  looked  upon  the  country 
which  they  had  long  panted  to  see,  and  felt  that  it 
was  as  beautiful  as  they  had  expected. 

While  the  Spaniards  had  thus  inarched  as  far  as 
Ithualco,  Montezuma  was  in  the  heaviest  sorrow — . 
still  undecided — not  knowing  what  to  do.  The 
news  of  Cholula  had  so  much  overwhelmed  him, 
that  he  had  gone  to  the  palace  of  Tlillancalmecatl, 
the  place  to  which  he  always  went  when  he  would 
mourn  and  pray.  Here  he  remained  eight  days, 
fasting,  grieving,  and  going  through  with  many  re- 
ligious services,  to  please  the  gods.  From  this 
place  he  sent  another  messenger  to  Cortes,  en- 
treating him  not  to  enter  the  city  of  Mexico,  and 
making  him  rich  promises  if  he  would  comply  with 
his  request.  He  would  pay  a  yearly  tribute  to  the 
King  of  Spain,  and  he  would  give  four  loads  of 
gold  to  Cortes,  and  one  to  each  of  his  men.  The 
messenger  found  Cortes  at  Ithualco,  and  delivered 
his  message  ;  but  the  Spanish  chief  only  sent  back 
the  old  answer — that  he  must  see  Montezuma,  and 
deliver  the  message  of  his  master  Don  Carlos. 

Before  his  messenger  had  time  to  return,  Monte- 
zuma (with  his  fears  greatly  increased  by  the 
dreams  and  traditions  of  which  his  priests  had  told 
him)  called  in  his  brother  Cuitlahuatzin,  and  his 
nephew  Cacamatzin,  the  lord  of  Tezcuco,  to  ad- 
vise with  them  as  to  what  he  should  do.  His 
brother  urged  that  the  Spaniards  should  not  be 
8 


86  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

allowed  to  enter  the  city,  while  the  nephew  advised 
that  they  should.  The  advice  of  the  latter  was 
taken  ;  and  the  Emperor  ordered  him  to  go  out  and 
meet  the  Spanish  chief,  and  in  his  name  to  speak 
to  him  very  kindly.  At  the  same  time  he  told  him,, 
if  it  were  possible,  to  dissuade  Cortes  from  entering 
the  city. 

Four  noblemen  were  instantly  started  for  Cortes, 
to  inform  him  that  Cacamatzin,  the  lord  of  Tezcu- 
co,  and  nephew  of  the  great  Montezuma,  was 
coming,  and  to  beg  that  he  would  wait  to  receive 
him.  In  a  little  time,  Cacamatzin  appeared  upon 
a  splendid  litter,  borne  by  eight  of  his  principal 
men,  and  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  Mexicans  and 
Tezcucans.  The  Spaniards  were  wonderfully 
struck  with  the  richness  of  this  litter.  It  was 
adorned  with  jewels  and  pillars  of  gold,  and  from 
every  golden  pillar  there  were  branches  of  rich 
green  feathers.  The  noblemen  helped  Cacamat- 
zin to  alight,  and  then  swept  the  ground  before 
him  as  he  moved  towards  Cortes.  The  Spanish 
chief  received  him  with  great  respect ;  but  when 
he  spoke  of  Montezuma's  wish,  he  received  from? 
Cortes  the  same  stubborn  answer  that  had  always^ 
been  given — that  he  must  enter  Mexico,  and  se-& 
the  monarch  himself. 

Without  waiting  longer,  Cortes  pressed  on  tow- 
ards the  capital,  along  the  causeway  of  Iztapala- 
pan.     He  pretended  on  the  way  that  he  had  friend- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  87 

iy  feelings  towards  Montezuma,  and  expected  to  be 
kindly  received  by  him ;  but  at  the  same  time  was 
very  cautious,  as  he  moved  along,  to  avoid  any 
stratagem.  At  length  he  came  to  a  place  called 
Xoloc,  about  half  a  league  from  the  city,  where 
the  main  road  to  Mexico  is  met  by  that  to  Cojohu- 
acan.  At  this  place  there  was  a  fortress,  crowned 
with  two  towers.  Here  he  found  great  numbers 
of  the  people  assembled  to  look  upon  him  and  his 
companions,  the  strange  beings  of  whom  they  had 
heard  so  much.  A  long  train  of  Mexican  nobles, 
clothed  in  their  richest  dresses,  now  came  forward, 
and  passing  before  Cortes,  made  a  low  bow,  at  the 
same  time  touching  the  ground  and  kissing  their 
hands.  Passing  this  place,  he  had  almost  reached 
the  city,  when  messengers  came  out  to  inform  him 
that  the  great  Montezuma  was  approaching.  Pres- 
ently, a  long  procession  was  seen.  Three  offi- 
cers, each  bearing  a  golden  rod,  walked  before, 
giving  notice  to  the  people  that  the  monarch  was 
coming,  while  they  instantly  threw  themselves 
upon  the  ground,  in  token  of  respect.  Montezuma 
was  next  seen,  sitting  upon  a  splendid  litter,  borne 
by  four  noblemen  on  their  shoulders.  Then  came 
two  hundred  noblemen,  dressed  in  their  rich  cotton 
mantles,  and  wearing  large  plumes  on  their  heads. 
These  marched  two  by  two,  barefooted,  with  their 
eyes  cast  down  to  the  ground,  afraid  to  look  up  in 
the  presence  of  the  King.     The  Spaniards  were 


88  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

amazed  at  the  scene  ;  Cacamatzin's  appearance 
was  forgotten  in  the  splendor  of  this.  The  litter 
was  covered  with  plates  of  gold,  and  surmounted 
by  a  splendid  canopy  of  green  feathers,  beautifully 
ornamented  with  precious  stones  and  golden 
fringes,  while  Montezuma  himself  was  dressed 
most  magnificently.  He  wore  upon  his  head  a 
crown  of  gold  ;  upon  his  legs  were  gold  buskins 
filled  with  precious  stones  ;  while,  thrown  loosely 
over  his  shoulders,  hung  a  mantle  bespangled  with 
gold  and  gems.  *As  he  came  near  the  Spanish 
chief,  he  was  lifted  from  his  litter,  and  borne  upon 
the  arms  of  the  lords  of  Tezcuco  and  Iztapalapan, 
while  the  lords  of  Tacuba  and  Cojohuacan  spread 
cotton  mantles  upon  the  ground,  that  the  great 
King  might  not  touch  the  earth  with  his  feet. 
Cortes  now  dismounted  his  horse,  and  came  for- 
ward with  great  respect,  "  addressing  the  King 
with  deep  reverence,  after  the  fashion  of  Europe." 
Montezuma,  following  the  fashion  of  his  country, 
returned  his  compliment  by  touching  the  ground 
and  then  kissing  it.  Cortes  then  came  near,  and 
threw  around  his  neck  a  thin  collar  of  gold,  strung 
with  glass  beads  of  different  colors.  This  greatly 
pleased  the  King.  Cortes  would  then  have  em- 
braced him,  but  the  nobles  of  Montezuma  held 
him  back. 

This  meeting  raised  the  Spaniards  greatly  in 
the   esteem  of  the  Mexicans.      Thousands  had 


HERNAN    CORTES.  89 

assembled  to  see  it :  the  whole  causeway  was  cov- 
ered with  the  crowd,  while  the  tops  of  houses  and 
windows  were  filled  with  the  multitude.  Never 
before  had  they  seen  their  great  Emperor  Monte- 
zuma do  reverence  to  any  man ;  for  the  first  time 
in  their  lives,  they  saw  him  leave  his  palace,  to 
greet  with  kindness  a  band  of  stranoers.  Natu- 
rally  enough,  they  now  thought  the  Spaniards  were 
Teules,  or  deities  indeed  ! 

The  feelings  of  the  Spaniards  were  likewise 
strange.  It  was  now  the  eighth  day  of  November 
(seven  months  since  their  landing  in  the  country), 
and  they  had  at  length  reached  the  rich  and  beau- 
tiful city  of  Mexico.  There  it  was,  with  its  lofty 
domes  and  turrets,  its  splendid  houses,  and  great 
masses  of  people.  They  felt  already  that  they 
were  rich.  But  with  all  this,  they  could  not  help 
thinking  of  other  things.  They  were  a  band  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty  men  only,  far  away  from 
home,  in  the  heart  of  an  unknown  and  populous 
country  ;  they  might  enter  that  rich  city  only  to  be 
borne  down  by  the  multitudes  ;  perhaps  treachery 
might  destroy  them  ;  the  bridges  of  the  causeways 
might  be  lifted,  and  all  chance  of  escape  be  for 
ever  cut  off.     Joy  and  anxiety  filled  their  hearts. 

They  marched  into  the  city  more  than  a  mile, 
before  they  came  to  the  place  which  Montezu- 
ma had  ordered  to  be  made  ready  for  their  re- 
ception.    This  was  the  old  palace  of  King  Axa- 


90  THE   ADVENTURES    OF 

jacatl,  the  father  of  Montezuma.  Montezuma  now 
took  Cortes  by  the  hand,  and  leading  him  to  a 
large  hall  covered  with  tapestry  and  embroidered 
with  gold  and  gems,  said  to  him,  "  Malitzin,  you 
and  your  companions  are  now  in  your  own  house  i 
refresh  and  rest  yourselves  until  my  return."  He,. 
with  all  the  Mexicans,  then  left  him. 

Cortes  found  his  quarters  very  comfortable : 
there  was  ample  room  for  all  his  men,  as  well  as 
his  Indian  allies.  Montezuma  had  no  sooner  left, 
than  he  began  to  examine  them  with  great  care,  to 
see  that  all  was  safe.  He  next  ordered  the  artil- 
lery to  fire  their  guns,  by  way  of  frightening  the 
Mexicans,  and  then  commenced  putting  his  quar- 
ters in  a  state  of  defence.  Guns  were  fixed  in 
front  of  the  gate,  sentinels  were  posted  round,  and 
his  men  were  commanded  to  act  with  the  same 
prudence  as  though  they  were  facing  the  camp  of 
an  enemy. 

In  a  little  time,  Montezuma  returned  in  the  same 
splendid  style  as  when  he  met  Cortes  on  the  cause- 
way. He  had  brought  with  him  rich  presents 
for  the  Spanish  general,  and  remained  some  time 
with  him.  It  is  said  that  he  now  told  Cortes  freely 
of  his  fears  as  regards  the  Spaniards  ;  stating 
that  it  was  not  a  great  while  since  his  ancestors 
came  from  the  North,  to  rule  the  country  only  un- 
til Quetzalcoatl,  the  great  god  and  lawful  king, 
should  return,  and  that  these  Spaniards  (he  be- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  91. 

lieved)  were  his  subjects.  Cortes  very  artfully 
encouraged  this  belief  in  him,  because  he  knew  it 
would  help  his  designs.  At  all  events,  he  received 
the  presents  very  kindly  from  Montezuma,  and 
then  talked  to  him  of  the  greatness  of  his  master 
Don  Carlos.  He  was  the  greatest  monarch  in  the 
world,  and  had  sent  him  to  make  a  treaty  of  friend- 
ship with  the  great  Emperor  of  Mexico.  He 
wished  to  alter  certain  laws  and  customs  in  his 
kingdom,  and  to  offer  him  a  religion  far  better 
than  the  bloody  religion  of  Mexico.  After  the 
talk,  they  parted  seemingly  good  friends  on  both 
sides. 

The  next  day,  Cortes,  together  with  Alvarado, 
Sandoval,  Velasquez  de  Leon,  and  Ordaz,  paid  a 
visit  to  Montezuma.  They  were  received  kindly, 
and  the  three  following  days  were  appointed  by  the 
Emperor  for  them  to  look  at  his  capital.  Their 
first  visit  in  the  morning  was  to  the  great  square 
or  market-place,  Tlateloco.  On  one  side,  numbers 
of  slaves  were  exposed  for  sale  ;  on  another,  were 
vegetables,  fruits,  &c. ;  here  were  meats  and  poul- 
try, and  there  were  merchants  selling  all  manner 
of  furniture.  The  whole  place  was  crowded  with 
buyers  and  sellers,  while  perfect  order  was  kept 
throughout.  Three  judges  sat  at  one  end  of  the 
square,  while  a  number  of  officers  moved  through 
the  crowd,  to  prevent  riot  or  confusion.  There 
were  other  small  market-places  scattered  through- 


92  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

out  the  city,  containing  fountains,  fish-ponds,  and 
beautiful  gardens  ;  but  this  was  the  principal  place 
for  buying  and  selling  in  Mexico.  From  this 
place  they  went  to  the  great  temple  of  Mexico, 
passing  through  several  large  courts  enclosed  by 
heavy  double  walls,  and  paved  with  white  cut 
stones.  It  seems  that  Montezuma,  when  he  gave 
them  permission  to  visit  the  city,  had  been  afraid 
that  the  Spaniards  might  offer  some  violence  to  his 
gods  in  the  temple,  and  consequently  had  gone 
there  with  many  of  his  nobles.  Cortes  now  met 
him.  There  were  one  hundred  and  fourteen  steps 
to  the  temple — and  Montezuma  at  once  ordered 
six  priests  to  lift  Cortes  up  ;  but  the  Spaniard  pre- 
ferred walking  up  himself.  When  he  reached  the 
top  of  the  platform,  there  were  several  large  stones 
or  altars  for  sacrificing,  and  at  a  little  distance 
stood  a  horrid  figure  of  a  dragon,  besmeared  with 
blood.  Montezuma  came  forward,  and  asked 
Cortes  to  look  down  upon  his  city  now.  From 
this  high  spot  he  could  see  everything :  the  whole 
city  and  surrounding  country  lay  spread  out  before 
him.  It  was  impossible  to  count  the  number  of 
boats  passing  all  the  time  between  Mexico  and  the 
towns  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  :  and  the  crowds 
below  in  the  streets  of  the  city  surprised  Cortes 
more  than  ever.  He  now  desired  that  he  might 
see  the  principal  gods  of  the  temple,  and  after  talk- 
ing with  his  priests,  Montezuma  consented.     The 


HERNAN    CORTES.  93 

Spaniards  were  now  carried  into  a  large  hall,  the 
walls  of  which  were  smeared  with  blood,  and  the 
roof  curiously  carved  and  ornamented.  Here  they 
saw  two  altars,  richly  dressed,  and  behind  them 
the  figures  of  two  monstrous  men.  The  face  of 
one  of  these  images  expressed  terrible  passion  and 
rage  ;  his  body  was  ornamented  with  precious 
stones,  while  an  immense  golden  serpent  was 
coiled  around  him.  On  his  neck  there  wras  a  col- 
lar, covered  with  heads  and  hearts  wrought  in  gold. 
In  his  right  hand  he  held  a  bow,  in  his  left  a  bun- 
dle of  arrows.  Before  him  was  a  large  fire,  in 
which  Cortes  saw  at  the  moment  three  humaa 
hearts  burning.  This  was  Huitzilopochtli,  the  god 
of  war.  By  the  side  of  the  god,  there  was  stand- 
ing a  little  image,  bearing  a  beautifully  ornamented 
lance  and  shield  :  this  was  the  page  of  the  god. 
The  other  large  figure  had  a  face  like  a  bear,  with 
great  shining  eyes.  In  the  fire  before  him  there 
were  five  hearts.  This  was  Tezcatlipoca,  the  god 
of  providence,  and  brother  of  Huitzilopochtli.  Next, 
on  the  top  of  the  temple,  he  was  shown  the  great 
religious  drum.  This  was  an  immense  drum,  cov- 
ered with  the  skin  of  a  serpent.  When  this  drum 
was  struck,  the  doleful  sound,  it  is  said,  could  be 
heard  for  two  leagues.  Then  they  showed  him 
the  large  knives  for  sacrifices,  reeking  with  fresh 
blood,  together  with  the  horns  and  trumpets  of  the 
temple.      Cortes  now  turned  away  in  disgust,  and 


94  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

demanded  of  Montezuma  why  he  worshipped  such 
monstrous  idols,  and  allowed  his  people  to  be 
butchered  before  them.  The  King  was  very 
angry  :  he  declared  that  Cortes  should  never  have 
entered  the  temple,  had  he  supposed  that  he  would 
thus  insult  the  gods.  In  a  rage,  he  cried  out — 
"  Go,  go  hence,  while  I  remain  to  appease  the 
wrath  of  the  gods,  whom  you  have  justly  provoked 
by  your  blasphemous  words  !" 

Cortes,  with  his  companions,  now  passed  out  to 
a  tower  that  was  near  by.  At  the  entrance,  which 
was  always  open,  there  were  many  idols,  resem- 
bling serpents  and  other  loathsome  beasts.  Upon 
entering,  the  Spaniards  found  in  one  part  of  the 
building  piles  of  wood  near  a  large  reservoir  of 
water,  together  with  pots  of  water  ready  to  boil 
the  flesh  of  victims  who  were  sacrificed,  as  food 
for  the  priests.  In  another  part,  were  the  tombs 
of  the  Mexican  nobles  ;  in  another,  were  seen  im- 
mense piles  of  human  bones,  curiously  but  regu- 
larly laid  up.  As  in  the  temple,  so  in  this  tower 
priests  were  moving  about  in  their  long  black  man- 
tles, with  their  ears  cut  and  torn,  and  their  long 
hair  clotted  with  blood. 

When  Cortes  again  returned  to  his  quarters,  the 
Tlascalans  came  around  him,  talking  earnestly  of 
what  they  had  often  talked  before — the  treachery 
of  Montezuma.  They  declared  that  he  and  his 
people  were  all  crafty  and  treacherous  :  they  knew 


HERMAN    CORTES.  95 

them  well  ;  that  the  kind  reception  given  to  the 
Spaniards  was  only  intended  to  deceive  them  ;  and 
that  they  believed  they  had  been  allowed  to  enter 
the  city  only  that  the  bridges  of  the  causeways 
might  be  lifted,  all  chance  of  escape  cut  off,  and 
the  whole  of  them  be  thus  massacred.  Moreover, 
that  the  Emperor  was  a  fickle  and  uncertain  man. 
Even  if  he  was  their  friend  now,  he  was  likely,  in 
some  moment  of  passion,  without  any  cause,  to  be- 
come their  bitterest  enemy.  This  increased  the 
alarm  which  Cortes  already  felt  about  the  same 
thing,  for  it  was  no  news  to  him  that  Montezuma 
was  treacherous.  His  own  soldiers  were  ignorant 
of  the  fact,  but  Cortes  perfectly  understood  it. 
Whatever  Montezuma  might  say  as  to  his  inno- 
cence in  the  affair  at  Cholula,  Cortes  knew  that 
he  had  made  an  effort  to  destroy  his  colony  at 
Villa  Rica.  This  he  heard  at  Cholula,  but  care- 
fully kept  it  from  his  men,  fearful  of  discouraging 
them.* 

It  seems  that  after  Cortes  left  that  settlement, 
Montezuma  sent  to  Quauhpopoca  (the  lord  of  Nauh- 
tlan,  a  city  on  the  coast)  his  secret  orders  to  sub- 
due the  Totonacas,  and  punish  them  for  their 
friendship  to  the  Spaniards.  The  chief  immedi- 
ately attacked  all  their  settlements.  The  poor 
Totonacas  applied  to  the  Spaniards  at  Villa  Rica 
to  help  them.     Juan  de  Escalante,  who  had  charge 

*  This  may  help  to  explain  the  horrid  massacre  of  Cholula. 


96  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

at  the  post,  instantly  sent  his  orders  to  Quauhpo- 
poca  to  cease  troubling  these  Indians.  Upon  this, 
Quauhpopoca  sent  back  for  answer,  that  "  if  the 
Spaniards  were  disposed  to  take  up  the  cause  of 
the  Totonacas,  he  was  ready  to  meet  them  in  the 
plains  of  Nauhtlan."  Juan  de  Escalante  now  went 
out  to  meet  him  with  fifty  Spaniards,  two  thousand 
Totonacas,  two  cannons,  and  two  horses.  At  the 
first  attack  of  the  Mexicans,  the  Totonacas  fled. 
In  spite  of  numbers,  Escalante  and  his  little  band 
continued  the  fight :  with  their  cannons,  forced 
the  Mexicans  from  the  field,  pursuing  them  and 
cutting  many  to  pieces  as  far  as  the  city  of  Nauh- 
tlan. The  victory  was  theirs,  but  they  paid  for  it 
dearly  :  seven  Spaniards  and  one  horse  were  killed, 
and  the  brave  Escalante,  who  was  severely  wound- 
ed, died  three  days  afterward.  One  Spanish  pris- 
oner was  taken,  badly  wounded.  Fortunately,  he 
died  of  his  wounds,  and  thereby  escaped  being 
sacrificed.  Quauhpopoca  caused  his  head  to  be  cut 
off,  and  after  carrying  it  in  triumph  through  many 
cities,  to  show  the  people  that  the  Spaniards  might 
be  killed  as  well  as  others,  at  last  sent  it  as  a 
present  to  Montezuma. 

Cortes  had  felt  a  deep  sorrow  for  the  death  of 
Escalante  ;  and  the  recollection  of  the  cause  of  it, 
•together  with  the  suspicions  of  the  Tlascalans,  in- 
duced him  now  to  seek  some  of  his  Indians  whom 
he  supposed  were  not  prejudiced,  and  to  inquire 


HERNAN    CORTES.  97 

of  them  if  they  had  seen  anything  like  treachery 
on  the  part  of  the  Mexicans.  These  thought  that 
the  common  people  showed  no  signs  of  it,  but  they 
were  doubtful  about  others.  Some  of  the  nobles 
had  been  overheard  saying  that  it  would  be  an 
easy  thing  to  break  down  the  bridges  on  the  cause- 
ways. It  was  likewise  reported  that  Montezuma 
had'  seen  the  head  of  a  Spaniard  that  had  been 
sent  to  him  by  one  of  his  generals,  and  then  or- 
dered it  to  be  secretly  taken  away,  that  it  might 
not  be  known  to  Cortes.  This  was,  no  doubt,  the 
head  of  the  poor  Spaniard  sent  by  Quauhpopoca. 

Cortes  was  now  greatly  alarmed  ;  he  felt  assured 
that  treachery  was  at  work.  With  a  heart  full  of 
anxiety,  he  went  to  his  quarters,  where  he  spent 
the  whole  night  walking  to  and  fro  over  the  floor. 
A  thousand  plans  floated  through  his  mind  :  none 
pleased  him  ;  yet  it  was  necessary  to  act  promptly 
and  decidedly.  At  last  a  thought  crossed  him,  the 
very  boldness  of  which  made  even  Cortes  shudder. 
His  plan  was  formed.  He  would  seize  Montezu- 
ma himself,  and  make  him  a  prisoner.  This  would 
secure  his  safety  ;  the  Mexicans  would  hardly  at- 
tempt any  act  of  violence  when  the  life  of  their 
King  was  in  his  hands.  He  and  his  brave  com- 
panions might  perish  in  the  attempt,  but  it  were 
better  to  die  in  it  than  to  be  cut  to  pieces  retreat- 
ing, or  be  massacred  in  the  streets  of  Mexico. 
The  next  morning,  by  his  command,  all  his  officers 
9 


98  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

were  assembled.  Cortes  now  told  them  of  the 
danger  which  threatened  them.  He  declared  that 
Montezuma  was  treacherous-;  the  affair  at  Villa 
Rica,  and  consequent  death  of  Escalante,  plainly 
showed  it ;  that  even  now  his  treachery  was  at 
work  ;  the  Tlascalans  had  suspected  it,  but  it  was 
now  proved  ;  his  nobles  had  been  overheard,  se- 
cretly talking  of  breaking  down  the  bridges.  For 
his  part,  he  was  resolved  upon  what  he  would  do. 
The  danger  was  great,  the  remedy  hazardous  ;  but 
he  would  die  or  accomplish  it.  He  would  seize 
Montezuma,  and  bring  him  a  prisoner  to  his  quar- 
ters. The  officers  were  startled  by  this  bold  de- 
claration. Some  cried  out  that  it  was  impossible  : 
if  undertaken,  it  would  prove  the  sure  destruction 
of  all  the  Spaniards  ;  others  thought  it  best  to  re- 
treat back  to  Villa  Rica  as  fast  as  they  could  ;  but 
Velasquez  de  Leon  and  Sandoval  agreed  with 
their  leader,  saying  that  it  could  and  must  be  done. 
The  matter  was  talked  over  a  long  time,  until  at 
last  they  all  agreed  that  the  plan  of  Cortes  should 
be  executed  at  all  hazards. 

Cortes  now  proceeded  with  great  prudence.  It 
would  not  do  to  march  with  his  soldiers  in  a  body 
to  the  palace  of  the  King :  this  would  at  once 
rouse  the  Mexicans.  He  chose,  therefore,  Alva- 
rado,  Sandoval,  Velasquez  de  Leon,  Lugo,  and 
Davila,  five  of  his  best  tried  officers,  together  with 
five  of  his  bravest  soldiers,  to  accompany  him.. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  99 

Twenty-five  picked  men  were  to  follow  on  at  in- 
tervals, strolling  along  as  though  they  were  brought 
to  the  palace  by  accident.  Christoval  dc  Olid  and 
Diego  de  Ordaz  were  placed  in  command  of  all  the 
soldiers  left  behind,  with  orders  to  be  ready  to 
rush  out  at  the  first  alarm. 

He  now  marched  to  the  palace.  Without  sus- 
picion, he  was  admitted,  and  received  kindly  by 
the  King.  In  a  little  time,  Cortes  began,  in  a 
very  severe  way,  to  upbraid  him  about  the  conduct 
of  Quauhpopoca.  It  was  by  his  advice  (he  said) 
that  his  people  at  Villa  Rica  had  been  disturbed. 
He  believed  now  that  he  was  also  guilty  of  con- 
triving the  plot  of  Cholula,  and  was  sorry  to  find 
so  great  a  monarch  acting  so  meanly.  He  had 
not  spoken  of  this  before,  from  motives  of  prudence, 
but  now  that  he  had  discovered  another  plot  pre- 
paring in  Mexico,  he  came  to  assure  him  that  he 
should  protect  his  men  at  all  hazards.  When  Dona 
Marina  and  Aguilar  interpreted  the  language  of  the 
general,  Montezuma  changed  color,  and  was  for 
some  time  speechless.  At  length  he  spoke,  sol- 
emnly declaring  that  he  was  innocent.  He  had 
given  no  orders  to  Quauhpopoca  to  trouble  the 
Spaniards.  Then  taking  from  his  wrist  the  signet 
of  Huitzilopochtli,  he  gave  it  to  some  of  his  officers, 
with  a  positive  command  to  seize  Quauhpopoca  and 
bring  him  to  Mexico.  Ccrtes  now  expressed  him- 
jself  well  pleased  ;  in  his  own  mind  (he  said)  he  was 


100  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

satisfied  of  his  innocence.  But  the  Spaniards 
were  dissatisfied  and  alarmed,  and  ready  to  rise. 
One  thing  alone  he  believed  could  pacify  them, 
and  make  them  feel  perfectly  safe  :  that  was,  for 
Montezuma  to  leave  his  palace,  and  take  up  his 
abode  in  the  Spanish  quarters.  Montezuma  was 
now  enraged  ;  he  could  scarcely  speak.  He  cried 
out,  that  he  would  never  thus  humble  himself ;  that 
the  Kings  of  Mexico  were  not  used  to  surrender- 
ing themselves  prisoners  without  a  struggle  ;  and 
if  he  were  base  enough  to  do  so,  his  people  would 
rise  in  a  mass.  Cortes,  in  reply,  expressed  his 
surprise  that  the  King  should  think  himself  a  pris- 
oner, for  removing  to  the  Spanish  quarters  ;  that  it 
Was  only  returning  to  the  palace  of  his  old  father 
Axajacatl,  and  that  the  Mexicans  could  neither  be 
alarmed  nor  surprised  at  it.  But  no  persuasion 
could  move  him  ;  he  was  firmly  resolved  not  to  go. 
Velasquez  de  Leon,  seeing  his  resolution,  now 
cried  out  very  angrily,  "  Why  should  we  waste 
more  time  in  words  ?  He  must  yield  himself  our 
prisoner,  or  we  will  forthwith  stab  him  to  the  heart! 
Let  us  secure  our  lives,  or  perish  at  once."  His 
fierce  and  threatening  manner  startled  Montezuma. 
He  turned  to  Dona  Marina,  and  asked  what  that 
fierce  Spaniard  meant.  She  at  once  answered, 
"  Prince,  I  am  your  subject,  and  am  anxious  for 
your  safety  ;  but,  as  the  friend  of  these  strangers, 
I  know  their  characters.     Yield  to  their  request,. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  101 

and  they  will  treat  you  with  every  kindness  ;  re- 
fuse it,  and  they  will  not  hesitate  to  take  your  life." 
Montezuma  was  now  completely  subdued,  and 
readily  consented  to  go.  "  Let  us,  then,  depart  to 
your  quarters,"  he  said  ;  "  the  gods  have  decreed  it 
so,  and  I  trust  myself  to  your  honor."  Cortes  now 
caused  him  to  call  some  of  his  lords,  and  inform 
them  that  it  was  his  choice  and  pleasure  to  make 
his  home  in  the  Spanish  quarters.  He  was  then 
placed  upon  his  splendid  litter,  and  carried  from 
his  palace.  The  Mexicans,  hearing  what  was 
done,  were  greatly  roused  :  they  thought  the  Span- 
iards were  stealing  away  their  King,  and  made 
awful  threats  against  them.  But  when  they  saw 
the  litter  passing  through  the  streets,  surrounded 
by  the  officers  of  the  Emperor,  and  Montezuma 
waved  his  hand  to  them  in  token  of  command, 
they  were  at  once  satisfied  and  quiet. 
9* 


102 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF 


CHAPTER   VI 


N  a  little  time,  Montezuma 
became  quite  satisfied  in  the 
Spanish  quarters.  He  was 
treated  as  the  King  of  Mexi- 
co, and  his  government  went 
on  as  usual.  His  chiefs  were 
allowed  to  visit  him,  and  his 
nobles  served  up  for  him  his 
splendid  feasts  as  before  in  his  own 
palace.  It  is  said,  that  after  feast- 
ing, he  would  frequently  send  what 
was  left  as  a  present  to  the  Span- 
ish soldiers.  They  shared  his 
kindness  in  another  way.  He  be- 
came very  fond  of  Cortes  and  Alvarado,, 
and  amused  himself  by  playing  with 
them  a  game  called  bodoque,  and  all  his  winnings 
at  the  game  were  given  to  the  soldiers.  Naturally 
enough,  this  kindness,  together  with  the  commands 
of  Cortes,  induced  the  men  to  treat  him  with  great 
respect.  Cortes  was  very  strict  on  this  point ;  he- 
had  one  of  his  men,  on  one  occasion,  severely- 
whipped,  for  using  rude  words  toward  the  mon- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  103 

arch.  Montezuma  was  also  allowed  to  visit  the 
temple,  and  go  out  upon  the  chase  sometimes  ;  but 
on  these  occasions  he  was  always  attended  by  a 
body  of  Spaniards,  to  prevent  his  being  rescued. 
Though  a  prisoner,  he  was  still  the  King,  and  felt 
happy. 

This  happiness  did  not  last  long,  however.  At 
the  end  of  a  fortnight,  Quauhpopoca  and  some  of 
his  companions  in  the  attack  on  Escalante  were 
brought  prisoners  to  Mexico.  Though  a  prisoner, 
Quauhpopoca  was  borne  upon  a  splendid  litter  like 
a  conquering  hero.  He  at  once  sought  Montezu- 
ma, and  presented  himself  before  him  as  one  who 
had  faithfully  obeyed  his  orders.  To  his  surprise 
and  confusion,  the  King  treated  him  coldly,  and 
ordered  him  to  be  delivered  immediately  to  Cortes. 
He  was  now  put  to  the  torture,  and  confessed  that 
all  he  had  done  was  by  command  of  his  King.  A 
court,  made  up  of  Spaniards,  then  tried  him,  and 
condemned  him  to  be  burnt  alive.  Cortes  went 
now  to  Montezuma,  and  told  him  of  the  confession 
of  Quauhpopoca,  and  the  punishment  he  was  to 
suffer  ;  adding,  very  sternly,  that  he  too  would  be 
put  to  death  but  for  his  late  acts  of  kindness  :  his 
life  would  be  spared,  but  that  he  was  not  to  escape 
all  punishment  for  his  treachery.  With  that,  he 
ordered  a  Spaniard,  who  had  brought  a  pair  of  iron 
fetters  along,  to  fasten  them  upon  the  legs  of  Mon- 
tezuma.    It  was  instantly  done,  and  Cortes  left 


104  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

iiim,  to  punish  Quauhpopoca.  The  poor  King  of 
Mexico  was  confounded  and  speechless.  His  no- 
bles who  attended  him  clung  to  his  fetters,  and 
wept  bitterly. 

Cortes  now  gathered  a  large  quantity  of  bows, 
arrows,  and  darts,  from  the  Mexican  armory,  and 
caused  an  immense  fire  to  be  made  of  them  directly 
in  front  of  Montezuma's  palace.  Quauhpopoca  and 
three  other  chiefs  (some  say  fifteen  others)  soon  per- 
ished in  the  flames.  Thousands  of  Mexicans  looked 
calmly  upon  the  scene  ;  no  resistance  was  made, 
for  they  thought  it  was  all  done  by  the  command 
of  the  King.  This  horrible  act  being  ended,  Cortes 
again  went  to  Montezuma,  spoke  kindly  to  him, 
and  with  his  own  hands  took  off  his  fetters.  To 
carry  his  kindness  further,  he  now  told  him  that 
he  was  at  liberty,  and  might  return,  if  he  pleased, 
to  his  own  palace.  This  last  was  only  a  pretence 
of  kindness,  for  Cortes  knew  very  well  that  Mon- 
tezuma dared  not  go.  The  people  had  just  seen 
the  death  of  the  brave  general  Quauhpopoca,  and 
Montezuma  knew  that  he  would  probably  suffer 
for  the  guilt  of  it. 

Though  the  Mexicans  made  no  resistance  at  the 
time,  the  insolent  bearing  of  the  Spaniards,  before 
the  very  palace  of  their  King,  had  roused  the  an- 
ger of  many.  The  proud  spirit  of  Cacamatzin, 
the  lord  of  Tezcuco,  was  greatly  excited.  He  at 
once  gathered  together  a  body  of  the  nobles  at 


HERNAN    CORTES.  105 

Tezcuco,  and  they  resolved  to  declare  war  upon 
the  Spaniards.  They  were  quickly  busy  in  making 
their  preparations,  and  the  rumor  of  their  intentions 
soon  spread.  Cortes  began  to  feel  alarmed  for  his 
safety,  and  Montezuma  began  to  be  startled  with 
the  thought  of  losing  his  crown  ;  for,  with  the  ru- 
mors, came  the  story  that  Cacamatzin  intended  to 
seize  the  reins  of  government,  thinking  that  his 
uncle  had  disgraced  both  himself  and  the  empire. 
They  both  sent  messengers  to  Cacamatzin,  com- 
manding him  to  leave  off  his  warlike  preparations  ; 
but  Cacamatzin  only  sent  back  this  proud  answer  : 
"  That  his  country  was  disgraced  ;  that  the  Span- 
iards could  no  longer  deceive  or  frighten  him  ; 
they  must  leave  Mexico,  and  return  to  their  own 
country,  or  take  the  storm  that  was  gathering.'* 
Cortes  now  proposed  to  march  out  and  attack  him. 
Montezuma,  however,  advised  him  not  to  do  this, 
stating  that  Tezcuco  was  a  strongly-fortified  city, 
the  second  in  the  empire,  and  he  would  only  per- 
ish in  the  attempt.  He  sent,  therefore,  another 
message  to  his  nephew,  inviting  him  to  come  up  to 
the  capital  and  visit  him,  at  which  time  all  diffi- 
culties might  be  happily  settled.  Cacamatzin  was 
now  more  indignant  than  ever :  he  declared  to  his 
followers  that  his  uncle  was  more  a  friend  to  the 
strangers  than  to  his  own  people.  He  sent  for 
answer  this  time,  that  he  would  come  to  the  capi- 
tal, but  not  to  waste  words  in  idle  talk  :  he  would 


106  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

come  to  destroy  the  Spaniards.  Finding  his 
nephew  thus  resolute,  Montezuma  now  determin- 
ed to  make  him  a  prisoner.  He  took  his  signet 
from  his  arm,  and  giving  it  to  some  of  his  nobles, 
commanded  them  secretly  to  seize  his  rebel  ne- 
phew, and  bring  him  a  prisoner  to  Mexico.  His 
order  was  soon  carried  out.  In  a  little  time,  the 
nobles  returned,  bringing  Cacamatzin.  Montezu- 
ma rebuked  him,  and  then  delivered  him  to  Cortes. 
He  was  at  once  thrown  into  prison,  and  his  brother 
Cuitcuitzcatzin  sent  out  in  splendid  style  to  take 
charge  of  the  province  of  Tezcuco. 

Made  bold  by  his  success  in  this  matter,  Cortes 
now  resolved  that  Montezuma  should  declare 
himself  subject  to  the  King  of  Spain.  He  went 
to  him,  and  told  him  that  it  was  his  desire 
that  he  should  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the 
King  of  Spain  over  him,  and  subject  his  king- 
dom to  a  yearly  tribute  in  token  of  dependance. 
The  poor  captive  monarch,  in  great  sorrow,  soon 
assented  to  this.  He  called  all  his  lords  and 
nobles  together  in  a  great  hall  in  the  Spanish  quar- 
ters. With  sobs  and  tears,  he  reminded  them  of 
the  old  tradition  that  the  sons  of  Quetzalcoatl  were 
to  come  and  rule  the  Mexican  empire  ;  that  he  held 
it,  as  they  knew,  only  till  that  time ;  the  time  was 
now  come  ;  the  Spaniards  (he  believed)  were  the 
sons  of  Quetzalcoatl,  and  he  was  ready  to  recog- 
nise the  title  of  the  King  of  Spain  over  his  domin- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  107 

ions.  His  chiefs  and  lords  heard  this  declaration 
in  silent  grief ;  yet  they  gave  their  consent ;  for, 
like  the  King,  they  believed  the  tradition  :  they 
were  afraid  to  resist.  Montezuma  informed  Cortes 
that  on  the  next  day  they  would  all  swear  alle- 
giance to  the  Spanish  King.  Accordingly,  on  the 
day  following,  it  was  done  in  the  presence  of  all  the 
Spanish  officers,  and  even  their  hearts  (it  is  said) 
were  moved  when  they  witnessed  the  sorrow  of 
Montezuma  as  he  took  that  oath. 

One  step  led  on  to  another.  Cortes  next  re- 
solved to  persuade  him  that  it  was  right  and  proper 
that  his  empire  should  send  a  rich  present  of  jew- 
els, gold,  and  silver,  to  the  King  of  Spain.  It  was 
soon  done.  To  this  also  he  assented  :  he  brought 
forward  his  own  treasures  liberally,  at  the  same 
time  sending  commands  to  all  his  lords  throughout 
the  kingdom  to  bring  in  their  portions.  Within 
twenty  days,  an  amount  equalling  six  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  besides  jewels,  was  collected  at 
Mexico.  Cortes  now  proceeded  to  divide  this 
treasure.  One  fifth  part  was  for  the  King  of 
Spain  ;  one  fifth  part  for  himself ;  from  the  balance 
was  to  be  taken  what  he,  Velasquez,  and  others, 
had  expended  in  fitting  out  the  expedition  ;  and 
then  the  remainder  was  to  be  equally  divided 
among  the  men,  according  to  their  rank.  The 
soldiers  were  dissatisfied  with  this  division,  espe- 
cially the  part  given  to  the  King  of  Spain,  who 


108  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

had  never  aided  them  in  any  way  in  the  enterprise  ; 
but  Cortes  managed  to  pacify  them  by  giving  se- 
cret presents  to  some,  and  offering  promises  and 
prospects  to  all. 

The  Spanish  chief  had  rolled  upon  a  tide  of  for- 
tune thus  far  ;  but  now  it  began  to  turn.  Matters  had 
come  to  such  a  pass,  that  some  of  the  Mexican  no- 
bles, forgetting  their  traditions  and  their  fears,  began 
seriously  to  think  of  forcing  the  Spaniards  from 
Mexico.  Their  King  was  a  captive,  Quauhpopoca 
murdered,  Cacamatzin  in  prison,  their  gods  insult- 
ed, and  the  whole  country,  in  fact,  under  the  con- 
trol of  strangers.  This  was  more  than  could  be 
borne.  They  began  to  hold  secret  meetings,  and 
sometimes  to  meet  Montezuma  secretly.  Matters 
were  freely  talked  over  :  the  priests,  who  hated 
the  Spaniards,  threw  in  their  advice,  and  all  this 
ended  in  a  solemn  resolution  that  the  Spaniards 
should  leave  the  city.  They  were  afraid,  how- 
ever, to  attack  them  openly,  so  long  as  Montezuma 
was  in  their  possession.  They  were  to  be  got 
off  peaceably,  if  possible,  and  therefore  another 
plan  was  adopted.  Montezuma  sent  for  Cortes, 
and  told  him  that  "  he  had  already  been  in  his 
capital  six  months,  and  there  was  no  reason  in  his 
remaining  any  longer.  He  wished  him,  therefore, 
to  depart  as  speedily  as  possible.  His  priests,  his 
nobles,  and  his  people  were  all  dissatisfied,  and 
determined  that  the  Spaniards  should  no  longer  re- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  109 

main  in  the  land.  Moreover,  that  it  was  the  will 
of  the  gods  that  the  strangers  who  had  insulted 
them  should  be  expelled,  or  sacrificed."  This 
was  said  very  sternly  by  the  King,  and  Cortes, 
who  had  heard  that  a  conspiracy  was  at  work* 
felt  that  it  must  be  strong  when  Montezuma  could 
speak  to  him  so  boldly.  He  knew,  too,  if  the 
Mexicans  did  rise  against  him,  it  was  death  to  his 
hopes.  He  very  artfully,  therefore,  answered  the 
King  that  his  demand  was  very  reasonable  ;  that 
he  had  himself  already  thought  of  leaving  Mexico. 
He  could  not,  however,  leave  immediately ;  his 
ships  had  been  destroyed,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
build  new  ones.  He  hoped  the  Mexicans  would 
allow  him  time  to  make  his  preparations.  Mon- 
tezuma was  greatly  pleased.  The  thought  of 
his  departure  was  real  joy  to  him.  He  embraced 
Cortes,  and  promised  him  not  only  time  to  make 
his  preparations,  but  that  he  would  assist  him  in 
making  them.  He  sent  out  his  order  that  some 
of  his  men  should  at  once  go  to  the  woods  to  cut 
timber  for  the  Spaniards,  and  that  some  of  his  car- 
penters should  set  to  work  in  helping  them  to  build 
their  ships.  Cortes  left  Montezuma  feeling  very 
happy  himself ;  he  saw  he  had  deceived  the  King : 
she  had  no  thought  of  leaving  the  country,  and  was 
hoping,  during  the  time  allowed  him,  that  he  might 
gain  strength  in  some  way  to  meet  any  difficulty. 
At  the  end  of  a  week,  however,  ships  appeared  on 
10 


110  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

the  coast.  Montezuma,  hearing  of  this,  sent  for 
him  again,  and  told  him  there  was  no  necessity  for 
his  remaining  any  longer  to  build  his  vessels  ;  ships- 
were  off  the  coast,  and  he  must  start  immediately. 
Cortes  felt  more  joy  than  sorrow.  The  news 
of  the  ships  delighted  him  ;  he  thought  instantly 
of  Portocarrero  and  Montejo,the  messengers  whom 
he  had  sent  to  Spain  to  get  the  authority  of  Don 
Carlos.  Nine  months  had  passed  away  since  they 
left  him  ;  he  had  looked  for  them  eagerly  before,, 
and  supposed  they  had  now  arrived  with  fresh 
troops  to  help  him  in  his  conquest.  In  this  he 
was  sadly  disappointed.  The  truth  was,  that  his 
very  messengers  had  betrayed  him.  Contrary  to 
their  positive  orders,  they  had  stopped  at  Cuba,  on 
their  way  to  Spain.  Portocarrero  being  sick,  Mon~ 
tejo  had  forced  the  pilot,  Alaminos,  to  touch  at 
Havana,  under  pretence  of  getting  supplies  from 
his  estate.  The  ship  had  no  sooner  cast  anchor, 
than  he  sent  a  sailor  ashore  with  letters  to  Velas- 
quez. The  Governor  was  more  enraged  than 
ever  ;  from  that  moment,  he  had  used  all  his  efforts 
to  ruin  Cortes.  The  eighteen  ships  on  the  coast 
were  under  the  command  of  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez, 
and  he  had  been  sent  out  by  him,  at  the  head  of 
eight  hundred  soldiers,  with  positive  orders  to  seize 
Cortes  and  his  principal  officers,  and  send  them 
prisoners  to  Cuba.  It  was  not  long  before  Cortes, 
understood  the  whole. 


HER  NAN    CORTES.  Ill 

Narvaez  had  made  a  landing  on  the  coast  of 
Chempoalla,  and  was  soon  joined  by  three  Span- 
ash  deserters.  These  told  him  that  Cortes  was  in 
a  forlorn  and  wretched  condition,  and  might  easily 
be  taken.  Narvaez  was  made  bold  by  such  news. 
He  immediately  sent  off  Guevara,  a  priest,  with  a 
company,  to  Sandoval  (who  was  commanding  at 
Villa  Rica  since  the  death  of  Escalante).,  to  de- 
mand that  he  should  surrender  that  place.  San- 
doval refused  to  do  so,  and  when  the  priest  proved 
insolent,  told  him  that  his  sacred  order  alone  pro- 
tected him.  Upon  this,  Guevara  was  very  angry: 
the  quarrel  became  high,  and  Sandoval  seized  him 
and  his  companions,  and  sent  them  prisoners  to 
Mexico.  Upon  their  arrival  there,  Cortes  very 
prudently  received  them  kindly ;  he  took  off  their 
fetters,  expressed  himself  sorry  for  the  conduct  of 
Sandoval,  made  them  many  rich  presents,  and  in 
'this  way  completely  won  them  over  as  friends. 
They  now  talked  to  him  freely  of  Narvaez  and 
the  strength  of  his  forces  :  said  that  he  had  de- 
clared to  the  Indians  that  Cortes  was  a  traitor  and 
tyrant,  keeping  their  King  a  prisoner,  and  that  he 
was  sent  out  by  the  King  of  Spain  to  set  them 
free.  They  stated,  too,  that  Montezuma  was  send- 
ing secret  messages  to  him,  and  that  several  of  the 
Mexican  provinces  had  openly  declared  in  his  favor. 

Cortes  was  now  in  a  very  dangerous  and  trying 
position.  It  was  idle  for  him  to  march  out  and 
5* 


112  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

meet  Narvaez  with  all  his  fresh  and  numerous 
troops  ;  to  release  Montezuma,  and  attempt  to  re- 
treat from  Mexico,  would  prove  sure  destruction  ; 
to  remain  where  he  was,  in  an  enemy's  city,  and 
wait  for  Narvaez  to  attack  him,  would  prove  equally 
unsafe.  His  courage,  however,  did  not  forsake 
him.  He  was  resolved  upon  one  thing — that  he 
would  never  leave  as  a  prisoner  the  country  that 
he  had  entered  as  a  conqueror,  and  never  allow 
another  to  reap  the  glory  which  he  thought  he  had 
earned.  Narvaez  was,  he  supposed,  his  most  dan- 
gerous enemy,  and  he  turned  his  thoughts  towards 
him.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  before  long  he 
must  come  to  a  battle  with  him,  but,  in  the  mean 
time,  he  would  try  to  win  him  as  a  friend  :  if  he 
failed  in  that,  he  would  try  to  break  up  his  strength 
by  bringing  over  some  of  his  officers.  He  selected, 
as  the  messenger  whom  he  would  send  to  him, 
Father  Olmedo,  whose  prudence  he  had  tried  be- 
fore this.  He  was  to  propose  terms  of  friendship  ; 
if  he  failed  in  carrying  this  point,  he  was  to  use 
his  arts  in  making  friends  in  his  army.  Accord- 
ingly, Olmedo  was  sent  off  with  letters  to  Nar- 
vaez and  some  of  his  officers — among  the  rest, 
Andres  de  Duero,  the  old  friend  of  Cortes,  who 
was  fortunately  one  of  them — together  with  many 
rich  presents  for  them  from  Cortes. 

Narvaez  received  him  with  great  scorn.     He  de- 
clared that  he  would  soon  cut  off  the  head  of  the 


HERNAN    CORTES.  113 

traitor  Cortes,  and  put  all  his  followers  to  death. 
It  was  in  vain  that  Father  Olmedo  reasoned  with 
him,  telling  him  that  the  Spaniards  were  brothers  ; 
that  the  glory  of  their  common  country  required 
that  they  should  turn  their  forces  against  the  Mexi- 
cans, and  that  Cortes  was  ready  to  do  so.  Nar- 
vaez would  hear  no  terms  of  peace  whatever. 
Finding  that  he  failed  in  this  point,  Olmedo  re- 
membered the  other.  He  mingled  with  the  men, 
talked  with  them  freely,  delivered  the  rich  presents 
of  Cortes,  and  soon  won  over  some  of  the  officers. 
Fortunately,  just  at  this  time,  Guevara  and  his  com- 
panions returned.  They  talked  loudly  of  the  gen- 
erosity of  Cortes,  and  the  glory  that  was  before 
the  Spaniards,  if  they  would  only  join  forces  ;  de- 
claring that  no  better  leader  could  be  found  than 
Cortes,  and  that  it  was  a  shame  to  take  the  com- 
mand from  him  after  all  his  perils.  Narvaez,  only 
the  more  enraged  at  all  this,  ordered  Guevara  never 
again  to  speak  to  him  of  terms  of  friendship  be- 
tween him  and  Cortes,  and  immediately  issued  his 
proclamation,  declaring  Cortes  and  all  his  follow- 
ers rebels  to  Don  Carlos,  and  traitors  to  their 
country. 

Upon  Olmedo's  return,  Cortes  felt  at  once  that 
he  was  to  have  a  struggle  with  Narvaez,  and  that 
the  sooner  it  was  met  the  better.  Leaving  one 
hundred  and  fifty  of  his  men,  therefore,  at  Mexico, 
under  the  command  of  Alvarado,  with  particular 
10* 


114  THE    ADVENTURES  OF 

instructions  to  guard  Montezuma  closely,  he  started 
with  the  remainder  of  his  forces  to  meet  him. 
What  he  most  feared  was  the  cavalry  of  Narvaez. 
To  enable  his  soldiers  to  meet  these,  he  sent  To- 
billa  to  Chinantla  to  get  from  the  Cacique  three 
hundred  of  the  long  spears  used  by  his  warriors 
in  battle.  He  pushed  on  very  rapidly  towards 
Chempoalla,  having  no  baggage  or  artillery  to  de- 
lay him.  At  Tapanacuetla  (a  village  thirty  miles 
from  that  place),  he  was  joined  by  Sandoval  and 
his  men  from  Vera  Cruz.  His  whole  force  now 
amounted  only  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  ;  yet 
they  were  brave  men,  ready  to  face  any  danger. 
Determined,  if  possible,  not  to  shed  the  blood  of 
his  countrymen,  Cortes  once  more  sent  Father  01- 
medo  to  bring  Narvaez  to  terms  of  peace.  Again 
he  was  received  with  scorn,  and  again  set  himself 
to  the  work  of  intriguing  with  the  men.  Another 
messenger  was  now  sent ;  this  was  Velasquez  de 
Leon.  It  seems  that  Narvaez  had  counted  surely 
upon  his  friendship,  remembering  that  he  was  a 
kinsman  to  Velasquez,  and  had  written  him  a  let- 
ter, urging  him  to  join  him.  This  Velasquez  de 
Leon  had  very  proudly  and  indignantly  refused  to 
do.  Cortes  was  greatly  delighted  with  this  proof 
of  his  friendship  ;  and  thinking  it  would  help  his 
cause,  now  sent  De  Leon  also  a  messenger  to 
Narvaez.  He  was  received  with  great  attention. 
Narvaez  made  him  brilliant  offers  :  he  should  be 


HERNAN    CORTES.      „  115 

second  in  command,  and  earn  great  glory,  if  h@ 
would  only  abandon  Cortes.  Velasquez  de  Leon 
again  refused,  declaring  that  he  would  die,  sooner 
than  desert  such  a  noble  commander  as  Cortes  ; 
that  he  had  already  earned  great  glory  for  his 
country  ;  and  as  he  had  begun  the  conquest,  he 
was  the  best  man  to  finish  it.  Narvaez  and  some 
of  his  officers  were  now  very  angry,  and  spoke 
abusively  of  Cortes  and  his  followers.  This  was 
more  than  De  Leon  could  brook ;  he  was  enraged 
at  hearing  his  brave  companions  thus  spoken  of, 
and  laid  his  hand  upon  his  weapon.  Fortunately, 
some  of  the  more  prudent  Spaniards  came  forward 
at  this  moment,  and  urged  him  and  Father  Olmeda 
to  leave  the  camp.  They  left,  but  many  friends 
were  left  behind  them.  The  soldiers  of  Narvaez 
had  begun  to  look  upon  their  leader  as  obstinate 
and  stubborn.  The  messengers  had  scarcely  gone, 
when,  in  a  rage,  he  offered  a  reward  of  two  thou- 
sand crowns  for  the  heads  of  Cortes  and  Sandoval. 
Hearing,  too,  that  Cortes  had  been  bold  enough  to 
come  within  a  league  of  Chempoalla,  he  at  once 
set  his  army  in  motion  to  give  him  a  battle. 

Fortunately  for  Cortes,  one  of  Narvaez'  men  de- 
serted his  camp,  and  informed  him  of  what  was 
done.  Narvaez  had  drawn  up  his  whole  army  in 
a  large  plain  near  Chempoalla,  and  determined 
there  to  wait  for  him.  Cortes  was  not  so  imprudent 
as  to  meet  him  there  with  his  little  handful  of 


116  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

men.  He  kept  quiet,  therefore,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river  Canoas,  which  runs  near  Chempoalla, 
determined  to  wait  for  some  better  opportunity.  A 
heavy  fall  of  rain  now  set  in,  and  the  soldiers  of 
Narvaez,  unaccustomed  to  hardships,  began  to 
murmur  and  complain.  It  was  idle,  they  said,  to 
remain  in  such  a  storm  ;  Cortes  and  his  few  follow- 
ers would  not  dare  to  approach  them  at  such  a  time. 
Some  of  the  officers  joined  with  them,  and  per- 
suaded Narvaez  to  take  them  back  to  their  quar- 
ters in  Chempoalla.  Having  carried  them  back 
he  posted  two  sentinels  at  the  ford  of  the  river  to 
watch  the  enemy,  and  sent  a  number  of  horsemen 
to  keep  a  lookout  upon  the  road  leading  to  the 
town,  and  to  move  around  his  quarters.  In  the 
mean  time,  Cortes  and  his  little  army  stood 
drenched  in  the  rain  without  a  murmur  ;  every 
man  seemed  happy  and  contented.  Naturally  sup- 
posing that  Narvaez  and  his  men  would  be  weary 
and  unsuspicious  of  his  approach  after  such  a  day, 
he  determined  to  attack  them  at  midnight,  while 
they  were  all  in  their  quarters.  Accordingly,  he 
called  his  little  band  around  him,  told  them  of  his 
design,  and  made  a  stirring  speech  to  them.  He 
spoke  of  the  sufferings  and  dangers  they  had  borne, 
the  victories  they  had  won,  and  the  glorious  pros- 
pects before  them  ;  and  now  he  said  they  had  been 
declared  rebels  and  traitors  by  their  unnatural 
countryman  Narvaez.     As  he  went  on,  he  was  in- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  117 

terruptcd  by  the  shouts  of  the  soldiers  ;  and  when 
he  finished,  they  all  declared  that  they  would  fol- 
low such  a  leader  for  ever.  Some  went  so  far  (it 
is  said)  as  to  swear  they  would  kill  Cortes  if 
he  tried  again  to  make  peace  with  Narvaez.  He 
thanked  them  for  their  love,  and  warmly  praised 
their  courage.  His  little  army  was  now  divided 
into  three  parties.  The  command  of  the  first  was 
given  to  Sandoval.  This  had  the  most  difficult 
duty  to  perform  :  it  was  to  seize  the  artillery  of  the 
enemy,  and  Cortes  placed  in  it,  therefore,  some  of 
his  picked  men.  The  second  division  was  in- 
trusted to  Christoval  de  Olid  :  he  was  to  storm  the 
town,  and  take  possession  of  Narvaez.  Cortes 
himself  led  the  third  party :  this  was  to  act  as  a 
body  of  reserve,  and  rush  to  the  support  of  either 
party  that  required  it.  The  rain  had  swollen  the 
river  so  much,  that  it  was  dangerous  to  pass  it ; 
yet,  with  the  waters  rising  to  their  breasts,  they 
all  crossed  the  ford.  Every  man  being  armed 
with  his  sword,  dagger,  and  spear,  they  now  moved 
on  silently  and  in  regular  order.  The  guard  in 
advance  fortunately  caught  one  of  the  sentinels, 
but  the  other  fled  to  the  city  and  gave  the  alarm. 
This  caused  Cortes  to  move  on  more  rapidly.  But 
Narvaez  would  not  believe  the  sentinel ;  he  thought 
it  impossible  that  Cortes  should  be  moving  on  such 
a  night,  and  rebuked  him  as  a  coward  who  had 
been  frightened.     No  horsemen  were  seen  to  in- 


118  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

ferrupt  him  on  the  road  (they  were  probably  tired, 
and  had  taken  shelter  from  the  rain),  and  thus 
Cortes  reached  at  midnight,  unobserved,  the  prin- 
cipal temple  of  Chempoalla,  where  Narvaez  held 
his  quarters.  A  long  row  of  artillery  guarded 
the  entrance  to  the  temple,  but  no  time  was  to  be 
lost.  Cortes  gave  the  signal  for  attack.  Sando- 
val and  his  brave  followers  rushed  forward  so 
fiercely,  that  the  enemy  only  fired  three  guns, 
when  they  were  forced  to  take  to  their  other  wea- 
pons. He  now  drove  them  back  from  their  guns, 
and,  amid  a  shower  of  arrows  and  balls,  began  to 
press  his  way  up  the  steps  of  the  temple.  Num- 
bers poured  out  and  crowded  the  steps  ;  still  San- 
doval kept  the  guns,  and  maintained  his  ground  at 
great  hazard,  in  spite  of  all  opposition.  Narvaez 
was  not  idle  ;  he  was  up,  and  rallying  his  men. 
Christoval  de  Olid  and  Cortes  now  rushed  to  the 
assistance  of  Sandoval,  bearing  down  everything 
before  them.  Sandoval  reached  the  temple-door, 
and  tried  to  burst  it  open,  but  failed.  In  the  mean 
time,  one  of  the  soldiers  had  fired  the  tower  :  it 
was  in  a  blaze  ;  multitudes  were  rushing  from  it. 
Sanchez  Farzan,  one  of  the  soldiers,  now  struck 
Narvaez  with  his  spear.  He  instantly  fell,  was 
seized,  dragged  down  the  steps,  and  fastened  with 
fetters.  The  news  was  soon  spread  that  Narvaez 
was  dead  :  shouts  of  victory  rang  through  the  air  ; 
his  followers  were  confounded.     His  soldiers  in 


HERNAN    CORTES.  119 

the  two  smaller  towers  were  in  the  greatest  confu- 
sion. In  their  fright  and  consternation,  they  even 
took  the  fire-flies,  in  the  darkness,  to  be  soldiers' 
matches  ;  all  was  despair.  In  spite  of  the  entrea- 
ties of  Diego  Velasquez  and  Salvatierra,  they  laid 
down  their  arms  and  surrendered.  The  battle  was 
ended  ;  the  prisoners  were  all  put  under  the  charge 
of  Sandoval,  who  had^them  carried  to  a  safe  place, 
under  a  guard  of  picked  soldiers. 

The  next  morning  found  Cortes  a  conqueror, 
seated  on  a  chair,  surrounded  by  all  his  brave 
officers.  The  conquered  officers  passed  before 
him,  and  kissed  his  hand.  Right  glad  were  they 
to  make  a  friend  of  him  now.  He  now  sent  Lugo 
to  the  fleet  to  bring  off  the  pilots  and  sailors,  and 
then  to  dismantle  the  ships,  to  prevent  any  one 
from  returning  to  Cuba.  Next  he  ordered  all  the 
prisoners  to  be  set  free,  except  Narvaez  and  Sal- 
vatierra, and  then  offered  to  send  them  all  back  to 
Cuba,  or  take  them  as  his  soldiers.  The  men  had 
seen  his  bravery  :  they  now  saw  his  generosity  ; 
his  followers,  too,  seemed  to  have  plenty  of  ^old 
and  trinkets  ;  and,  almost  to  a  man,  they  consented 
to  join  him.  They  felt  that  glory  was  before 
them,  and  that  Cortes  was  the  commander  to  lead 
them  on.  He  was  now  fairly  at  the  head  of  an 
army,  together  with  one  hundred  horses,  plenty  of 
ammunition,  and  abundance  of  military  stores. 


120 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF 


CHAPTER    VII. 


CARCEJjY  was  the  victory 
won,  when  a  courier  arrived 
in  hot  haste  from  Alvarado. 
The  Mexicans  had  risen  in 
the  capital ;  two  brigantines, 
which  Cortes  had  built  to  com- 
mand the  lake,  were  destroyed, 
—  seven  Spaniards  had  been 
killed,  —  and  Alvarado  was  now 
closely  besieged  in  his  quarters. 
Cortes  was  greatly  startled  by  these 
sad  tidings.  He  knew  that  the  force 
of  Alvarado,  though  brave,  was 
small,  and  instantly  commenced  prepa- 
rations for  his  departure.  In  the  midst 
of  these,  two  other  messengers  arrived, 
heaping  curses  upon  Alvarado,  declaring  that  his 
rashness  and  folly  alone  had  brought  about  this 
disaster. 

It  seems  that  Cortes  had  scarcely  left  Mexico, 
when  the  inhabitants  of  that  city  began  to  think 
of  attacking  his  countrymen.     They  knew  that  he 


HERNAN    CORTES.  121 

was  the  great  leader  of  trie  Spaniards,  and  thought 
that  during  his  absence  they  might  rescue  Monte- 
zuma, and  revenge  themselves  thoroughly.    Many 
secret  meetings  had  been  held  by  them  for  the 
purpose  of   completing  their  plans,  'and  all  was 
nearly  ripe  for  action,  when  the  Spaniards  discov- 
ered the  plot.     They  were  all  greatly  enraged  : 
none  more  so  than. their  leader  Alvarado.     Still 
they  behaved  prudently ;   and,  but  for  the  hasty 
violence    of  Alvarado,  all  might   for  some    time 
have  been  kept  quiet.     The  principal  festival  of 
the  Mexicans  (that  of  Huitzilopochtli,  the  god  of 
war)  came  on  just  at  this  time.     At  this  festival, 
which  was  always  celebrated  with  great  magnifi- 
cence, it  was  customary  for  the  King,  the  nobles, 
the  priests,  and  the  people,  to  join  in  certain  dances. 
The  nobles,  having  requested  Alvarado  to  allow 
Montezuma  to  join  them,  and  been  refused,  pre- 
pared now  to  keep  the  festival  without  him.    The 
Mexicans  had  all  assembled  in  the  large  court  of 
the  great  temple,  the  dancing  and  singing  had  com- 
menced, when  Alvarado  (thinking  this  a  fit  occa- 
sion for  striking  terror  in  the  hearts  of  the  con- 
spirators) ordered   his    soldiers  out,   and  rushed 
furiously  upon  them.     So  sudden  was  the  attack, 
that  numbers  of  the  Indians  were  at  once  massa- 
cred.    In  a  little  time,  however,  they  rallied,  and 
prepared  for  a  desperate  revenge.     Nothing  could 
now  restrain  them  ;  not  even  the  thought  of  what 
11 


122  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

might  befall  Montezuma  could  allay  their  fury. 
They  rushed  upon  the  Spanish  quarters,  battering 
the  walls,  and  destroying  most  of  their  ammuni- 
tion. Alvarado  and  his  little  force  made  a  gallant 
resistance,  and  were  still  making  it,  but  were  now 
fairly  besieged,  and  had  before  them  every  pros- 
pect of  perishing,  either  by  war  or  famine. 

Cortes  hurried  his  preparations,  and  all  was 
soon  ready.  He  made  an  oration  to  the  fol- 
lowers of  Narvaez,  to  inspire  them  with  courage, 
and  then  intrusting  Narvaez  and  Salvatierra  to  the 
keeping  of  Rodrigo  Ranzel,  whom  he  appointed 
his  lieutenant  at  Villa  Rica,  set  out  on  his  rapid 
march  for  Mexico.  At  Tlascala  he  was  joined  by 
two  thousand  warriors,  and  he  now  felt  strong 
enough  to  curb  the  fury  of  the  Mexicans.  He 
passed  on  rapidly  to  Tezcuco  ;  but  scarcely  had 
he  entered  the  Mexican  territories,  when  he  saw 
at  once  many  signs  of  Mexican  feeling.  No  wel- 
come met  him  as  usual  in  any  of  the  towns  through 
which  he  passed  :  they  all  seemed  deserted  ;  nor 
was  any  provision  made  anywhere  for  the  comfort 
of  himself  or  his  army.  He  was  unmolested,  how- 
ever, in  his  march,  and  at  length,  on  the  24th  of 
June,  1520,  again  entered  Mexico.  Here,  again, 
no  one  came  forward  to  meet  him  :  a  gloomy  si- 
lence seemed  to  reign  through  the  city.  Cortes 
felt  assured  now  that  difficulties  were  before  him  ;. 
yet,  strange  to  tell,  his  first  act  was  one  of  impru- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  123 

dence.  When  at  length  he  reached  Montezuma, 
and  the  King  would  have  complimented  him  on 
his  victory  over  Narvaez,  he  turned  away  from  him 
with  scorn.  Perhaps  he  felt  that  he  had  force 
enough  now  to  carry  his  point  at  all  hazards,  or 
possibly  he  thought  that  Montezuma  was  treacher- 
ous ;  that  he  was  aiding  the  fury  of  his  people. 
Alvarado  was  instantly  summoned  before  him,  to 
give  an  account  of  all  that  had  happened.  He 
declared  that  a  priest  and  two  nobles  had  informed 
him  that  the  Mexicans  had  entered  into  a  plot  to 
destroy  the  Spaniards  ;  moreover,  that  news  had 
reached  the  capital  that  Cortes  and  his  army  had 
been  vanquished  by  Narvaez  ;  that  this  had  em- 
boldened them :  they  were  ripe  for  action  ;  to  pro- 
tect himself,  he  could  make  no  delay,  and  there- 
fore had  fallen  upon  them  at  the  time  of  the  festi- 
val. It  is  said  that  Cortes  was  dissatisfied  with 
this  explanation.  Still,  this  was  no  time  for  find- 
ing fault :  Alvarado  and  his  companions  were  in 
trouble,  and  their  only  hope  of  relief  was  through 
him.  He  was  provoked  at  the  boldness  of  the 
Mexicans,  and  especially  so  when  he  found  they 
furnished  no  supplies  for  his  army.  He  bore  him- 
self very  haughtily  toward  the  nobles  wherever  he 
met  them,  and  at  length  sent  a  very  stern  message 
to  Montezuma,  commanding  him  immediately  to 
supply  his  troops  with  provisions.  This  message 
only  roused  the  Mexicans  the  more  ;  and  from  that 


124  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

moment  they  commenced   a  war  of  indomitable 
hatred  against  all  Spaniards. 

Ere  long,  a  Spanish  soldier  came  rushing  into 
the  quarters,  and  fell  down,  sinking  with  the  loss 
of  blood.  This  poor  fellow  had  been  sent  by- 
Cortes,  to  bring  to  Mexico  the  daughter  of  Mon- 
tezuma and  other  ladies  left  at  Tacuba,  under  the 
care  of  the  Cacique.  The  enraged  Mexicans  had 
attacked  him  on  the  causeway,  and  he  had  escaped 
only  by  the  most  desperate  exertions.  He  declared 
that  the  whole  country  was  in  arms,  and  that  mul- 
titudes from  all  quarters  were  moving  toward 
Mexico.  Cortes  immediately  sent  out  Diego  de 
Ordaz,  with  four  hundred  men,  to  reconnoitre. 
These  Spaniards  had  scarcely  moved  into  the 
streets,  when  they  were  attacked  with  showers  of 
arrows,  while  the  air  was  filled  with  .the  loud 
curses  and  threats  of  the  Mexicans.  "  Every 
man  of  them  should  be  sacrificed  to  the  gods  :  not 
one  Spaniard  should  escape  ;  and  every  Tlascalan 
should  share  the  same  fate."  The  streets  were 
filled  with  the  phrensied  multitude,  while,  from  the 
tops  of  the  houses  and  temples,  darts,  stones,  and  ar- 
rows, were  poured  upon  the  Spaniards.  Ordaz  found 
that  he  could  neither  move  forward  nor  readily  re- 
treat ;  he  was  completely  hemmed  in  by  the  throng-. 
His  courage,  however,  did  not  forsake  him  ;  with 
a  desperate  energy,  he  fought  his  way  back  to  the 
Spanish  quarters,  twenty-three  of  his  men  having 


HERNAN    CORTES.  125 

%een  killed,  and  a  large  number  wounded.  '  This 
success  only  emboldened  the  Mexicans.  The 
next  day  they  came  in  vast  numbers  to  attack  the 
Spanish  quarters.  A  wild  madness  seemed  to 
possess  them.  The  artillery  was  at  once  brought 
to  bear  upon  them,  and,  though  masses  were  swept 
down  in  the  streets  at  every  volley,  the  places  of 
the  dead  were  instantly  supplied  by  others  ;  there 
seemed  no  end  to  their  numbers.  Twice  they  came 
near  forcing  an  entrance  into  the  quarters.  Dis- 
appointed in  this,  they  at  length  set  fire  to  them, 
and  the  Spaniards  were  enabled  to  stop  the  flames 
only  by  throwing  down  one  of  the  walls  to  extin- 
guish them. 

Another  difficulty  now  presented  itself,  in  the 
disaffection  of  the  soldiers  of  Narvaez.  They  were 
startled  by  the  threats  and  fury  of  the  Mexicans  ; 
they  had  followed  Cortes,  not  expecting  such  dis- 
asters, and  began  now  to  murmur  loudly.  It  was 
no  time  to  listen  to  their  complaints.  To  inspire 
them  with  confidence,  Cortes  resolved  upon  a  bold 
effort.  With  a  handful  of  men,  he  made  in  person  a 
desperate  sally  upon  the  enemy  ;  but,  in  spite  of 
his  bravery,  was  forced  to  retreat,  leaving  ten  of 
his  men  dead  in  the  streets,  and  about  fifty  wound- 
ed. His  energies,  however,  increased  with  his 
difficulties.  He  resolved  upon  another  attack. 
Perceiving  that  his  men  suffered  most  from  the 
darts  and  arrows  thrown  from  the  roofs  of  the 
11* 


126  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

houses,  he  caused  them  to  make  four  machines, 
called  mantas.  These  machines  were  made  of 
strong  timbers,  covered  with  a  roof,  and  moved  on 
wheels.  Each  one  could  carry  about  thirty  sol- 
diers. Thus  prepared,  he  again  sallied  out  at  the 
head  of  most  of  the  Spaniards  and  two  thousand 
Tlascalans.  The  Indians  hailed  them  as  usual 
with  shouts  of  fury  and  defiance,  pouring  in  upon 
them  clouds  of  arrows.  Expecting  this  attack, 
they  had  prepared  to  annoy  the  Spaniards  in  every 
way.  In  some  places,  the  streets  were  blocked  up 
to  prevent  their  passage  ;  in  others,  the  bridges 
that  crossed  the  canals  in  the  city  were  broken 
down  ;  and  while  the  Spaniards  were  stopped  from 
time  to  time  by  these  obstacles,  they  assailed  them 
furiously  from  the  streets,  the  canals,  the  roofs 
and  windows  of  the  houses.  As  for  the  mantas, 
they  afforded  but  little  protection,  for  the  inge- 
nuity of  the  Indians  soon  destroyed  them.  From 
the  tops  of  the  houses  they  hurled  down  im- 
mense stones  and  broke  them  to  pieces.  The 
priests  were  in  the  midst,  inflaming  the  people  ; 
the  nobles,  by  their  example,  urged  them  on,  and 
they  fought  desperately.  The  battle  was  waged 
fiercely  on  both  sides  through  the  whole  day. 
Worn  out  at  last  by  the  continued  attacks  carried 
on  from  the  houses,  Cortes  ordered  his  men  to  fire 
the  city.  Several  houses  were  soon  burnt  to  the 
ground,  and  he  now  retreated  to  the  Spanish  quar- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  127 

ters  as  rapidly  as  possible.  It  was  a  sad  day  to. 
both  parties.  Multitudes  of  the  Mexicans  were 
slaughtered,  while  forty  Spaniards  were  slain,  and 
a  large  number  wounded.  Cortes  was  himself 
badly  wounded  in  the  hand  in  this  conflict. 

Cortes  now  felt  that  his  position  was  most  dan- 
gerous. He  could  neither  conquer  nor  make  terms 
of  peace,  nor  hope  for  a  quiet  retreat.  To  attempt 
a  retreat  from  the  capital  was  all  that  seemed  left  to 
him  :  to  remain  where  he  was,  was  courting  almost 
certain  death  by  war  or  famine ;  and  yet  he  could  not 
brook  the  thought  of  being  anything  but  a  conqueror,, 
after  all  his  toils  and  struggles.  Fortunately,  at 
this  time  he  had  a  prospect  of  relief  from  Monte- 
zuma. It  is  said  that,  from  one  of  the  towers,  the 
King  had  looked  out  upon  the  conflict  in  the  city.. 
He  had  marked  the  fierce  spirit  of  the  Spaniards,. 
led  on  by  Cortes,  and  the  desperate  resistance  of 
the  Mexican  troops,  headed  by  his  brother,  the 
lord  of  Iztapalapan.  The  sight  moved  him  to 
tears.  He  felt  that  his  city  was  in  ruins,  whoever 
might  be  conqueror.  Troubled  with  his  distress, 
after  a  sleepless  night  he  sought  Cortes,  and  im- 
plored him  to  stop  the  havoc  by  leaving  the  city. 
It  required  but  little  persuasion  to  bring  Cortes  to 
a  decision.  He  promised  the  King  that  he  would 
go,  if  he  would  insure  him  a  peaceable  departure,, 
and,  for  this  purpose,  demanded  that  the  Mexicans 
should  lay  down  their  arms  :  and  Montezuma  as 


128  THE   ADVENTURES   OF 

readily  agreed  to  use  his  authority  to  induce  them 
to  do  so.* 

Accordingly,  on  the  next  day,  when  the  infuri- 
ated Mexicans  again  attacked  the  Spanish  quar- 
ters, Montezuma  resolved  to  show  himself  to  them, 
hoping  thereby  to  calm  their  fury.  Their  attack 
was  now  tremendous.  It  seemed  impossible  for 
the  artillery  to  drive  them  back.  Some  were 
scaling  the  walls,  and  some  had  actually  forced 
their  way  into  the  quarters,  and  were  fighting  hand 
to  hand  with  the  Spaniards,  when  Montezuma,  at- 
tired in  his  regal  dress,  and  attended  by  some  of 
his  nobles  and  a  guard  of  Spanish  soldiers,  came 
out  upon  the  battlements.  The  moment  he  ap- 
peared, all  was  silence  ;  some  fell  reverently 
upon  their  knees.  The  King  now  spoke  to 
them,  beseeching  them  to  desist,  and  declaring 
that  the  Spaniards  were  ready  to  leave  the  city  if 
they  would  only  allow  them  to  pass  out  undisturbed. 
One  of  the  nobles  answered  from  the  crowd,  that 

*  Bernal  Diaz  declares  that  there  was  no  such  readiness  of 
agreement  between  Cortes  and  Montezuma.  His  story  is,  that 
when  Cortes  consented  to  leave  the  city,  desiring,  as  a  condi- 
tion, that  the  King  should  use  his  influence  in  inducing  his 
people  to  lay  down  their  arms,  Montezuma  instantly  refused — 
bursting  into  tears,  and  uttering  many  reproaches  against  the 
Spanish  commander.  Father  Olmedo  and  Christoval  de  Olid 
then  tried  to  persuade  the  King,  but  he  answered  that  his  re- 
monstrances would  produce  no  effect  upon  his  people :  they 
had  chosen  another  King,  and  would  not  allow  a  single  Span- 
iard to  leave  the  city  alive.  At  length,  however,  after  great 
difficulty,  he  was  prevailed  on  to  address  the  Mexicans. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  129 

the  war  would  soon  be  over,  for  they  had  all  sworn 
that  no  Spaniard  should  leave  the  city  alive.  Mon- 
tezuma again  implored  them  to  lay  aside  their 
arms,  and  used  every  argument  to  persuade  them. 
All  was  in  vain.  A  murmur  of  discontent  spread 
through  the  throng,  and  one  of  the  crowd  cried  out 
that  the  King  was  a  coward.  In  a  moment  more, 
the  whole  mass  cursed  and  reproached  him,  and 
then  came  showers  of  stones  and  arrows  upon  the 
ramparts.  Before  the  Spaniards  could  shelter  him, 
Montezuma  fell.  A  stone  had  struck  him  on  the 
head,  and  he  was  wounded  in  his  arm  and  leg.  The 
Mexicans  were  now  horror-stricken  at  their  own 
deed  ;  their  stormy  passions  gave  way  to  gloom 
and  despair  ;  they  fled  from  the  spot  in  dismay. 

The  Spaniards  bore  the  unfortunate  King  with- 
in, and  Cortes  caused  his  wounds  to  be  care- 
fully dressed,  and  endeavored  to  console  him.  But 
Montezuma  refused  all  comfort.  He  seemed  now 
as  one  waking  from  a  dream.  The  haughty  and 
fierce  spirit  of  his  better  days  came  back,  and 
he  heaped  heavy  reproaches  upon  the  Spanish 
chief.  He  felt  that  he  was  a  king ;  he  knew  that  he 
was  now  degraded  and  disgraced,  and  he  longed 
to  die.  In  a  phrensy,  he  tore  the  bandages  from 
his  wounds,  and  refused  to  take  any  nourishment 
whatever.  Cortes,  perceiving  his  end  approach- 
ing, now  besought  him  to  embrace  the  Christian 
religion.     Alas  !  that  Montezuma  had  so  poor  a* 


130  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

preacher  of  our  blessed  religion  !  Father  Olmedo 
earnestly  implored  him  to  receive  Christian  bap- 
tism, but  all  to  no  purpose.  Unbending  to  the  last, 
he  had  but  one  fixed  desire,  and  that  was  to  die  ; 
and  at  length,  after  three  days  of  misery,  he 
breathed  his  last,  in  a  raving  passion,  mourning 
over  his  fate,  cursing  the  Spaniards,  and  swearing 
vengeance  against  his  people.  Cortes  immediately 
sent  a  messenger  to  Prince  Cuitlahuatzin,  the  suc- 
cessor to  the  throne,  to  inform  him  of  the  death  of 
Montezuma  ;  and  in  a  little  time  the  body  was  car- 
ried out  by  six  nobles,  and  taken  to  a  place  called 
Copalco,  amid  the  loud  lamentations  of  the  Mexi- 
cans. 

He  now  endeavored  to  make  peace  with  the 
Mexicans,  but  all  his  efforts  failed.  The  Indians 
whom  he  sent  as  messengers  with  his  terms  re- 
fused to  return  with  any  answer  ;  but  a  distinct 
answer  was  soon  made  known  by  the  conduct  of 
the  people.  The  day  after  the  funeral,  they  re- 
turned to  their  attack  upon  the  Spanish  quarters 
more  furiously  than  ever.  The  position  of  Cortes 
was  now  well  nigh  desperate.  Montezuma  was 
dead,  and  there  was  nothing  to  restrain  the  ven- 
geance of  the  multitude.  All  hopes  of  peace 
had  passed  away  :  his  only  hope  was  to  escape 
from  the  city.  Even  this,  however,  seemed  cut 
off  by  the  bold  determination  of  the  Indians. 
They  had  taken  possession  of  a  tower  on  the  prin- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  131 

cipal  temple,  which  commanded  a  full  view  of  the 
Spanish  quarters.  From  this  point  they  kept  so 
strict  a  watch,  that  it  was  almost  certain  death  to 
a  Spaniard  to  move  out.  They  knew  the  advan- 
tage of  this  post  so  well,  that  five  hundred  of  their 
picked  warriors  were  stationed  there.  Cortes  at 
once  saw  that  it  was  idle  to  hope  to  make  his  re- 
treat so  long  as  they  kept  that  station.  It  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  dislodge  them.  Accord- 
ingly, he  sent  Escobar  out  with  a  strong  force  for 
that  purpose.  More  than  one  gallant  effort  was 
made,  but  at  length,  after  three  several  failures, 
Escobar  was  forced  to  retreat  to  the  quarters. 

Cortes  now  felt  that  everything  depended  upon 
himself.  His  men  were  doomed  to  perish,  unless 
something  could  be  done.  Though  suffering  from 
his  wound,  he  determined  upon  another  effort,  and 
resolved  to  take  the  command  himself.  At  the 
head  of  his  troops,  he  pressed  toward  the  temple. 
Barriers  were  placed  in  his  way,  stones  and  arrows 
were  showered  upon  him  ;  still  he  pressed  on. 
Unfortunately,  when  he  reached  the  court  of  the 
temple,  he  found  that  the  cavalry,  upon  which  he 
principally  relied,  could  not  be  used  ;  the  horses 
continually  slipped,  and  fell  upon  the  pavement. 
The  Indians  annoyed  them  in  every  way.  Togeth- 
er with  their  arrows  and  darts,  they  hurled  upon 
them  burning  beams  of  wood,  which  threw  them 
into  great  confusion.     Cortes  now  dismounted,  and 


132  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

ordering  his  men  to  bind  his  shield  to  his  wounded 
arm,  rushed  to  the  attack,  calling  to  them  to  follow 
him.  His  example  inspired  them.  The  Spaniards 
rushed  on  with  resistless  force.  Gradually  working 
their  way  up  the  steps,  they  at  length  reached  the 
platform,  and  drove  the  Mexicans  to  the  upper  area 
of  the  temple.  Here  the  battle  raged  furiously  for 
three  hours.  The  priests  were  there,  calling  frantic- 
ally upon  the  gods,  and  screaming  to  the  people,  and 
these  contested  every  inch  of  the  way  with  the  des- 
perate Spaniards.  The  carnage  was  awful.  The 
warriors  were  all  killed  upon  the  spot,  or  destroyed 
themselves  by  leaping  from  the  tower.  The  no- 
bles perished  to  a  man.  Cortes  at  last  gained  the 
tower,  when  there  was  no  living  being  to  defend 
it.  He  instantly  set  fire  to  it,  and  then  commenced 
his  retreat  toward  his  quarters  ;  but  his  retreat  was 
one  continued  battle.  New  multitudes  thronged 
upon  him  in  the  lower  area  ;  and  when  these  were 
passed,  he  met  with  a  furious  attack  in  every  street 
and  from  every  house.  Every  inch  of  ground  was 
contested  to  and  from  the  temple  ;  still  in  this  re- 
treat he  managed,  by  a  desperate  effort,  to  rescue 
his  old  friend  Andres  de  Duero,  whom  the  Mexi- 
cans had  seized,  and  were  dragging  away  for  a 
sacrifice.  At  length  he  reached  his  quarters,  every 
man  being  covered  with  blood,  and  sinking  from  ex- 
haustion.  An  uncounted  number  of  the  Tlascalans 
had  fallen,  forty-six  Spaniards   had  been  killed. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  133 

and  every  other  Spaniard  in  the  action  had  been 
wounded.* 

As  soon  as  they  had  rested  from  this  hard  strug- 
gle, Cortes  summoned  his  officers,  to  consult  as  to 
the  time  and  manner  of  their  retreat.  Some  ad- 
vised that  they  should  sally  out  boldly  by  day, 
when  they  could  see  their  enemies,  and  mark 
every  danger.  Others  thought  it  best  to  make  the 
attempt  under  cover  of  the  night,  thinking  to  es- 
cape unobserved  through  the  darkness,  and  trust- 
ing to  a  superstition  of  the  Mexicans,  which  would 
not  allow  them  to  attack  an  enemy  during  the  hours 
of  repose.  An  old  soldier  now  came  in,  and  pre- 
tending to  be  an  astrologer,  urged  that  the  attempt 
should  be  made  by  night.  In  a  little  time,  it  was 
settled  that  they  should  start  out  at  midnight.  As 
the  Mexicans  had  broken  down  the  bridges  of  the 

*  This  spirited  attack  and  defence  of  the  temple  was  con- 
sidered of  such  high  importance  among  the  Indians,  that  it  was 
perpetuated  by  lively  representations  in  the  paintings  of  both 
Tlascalans  and  Mexicans. 

Connected  with  this  attack,  a  beautiful  story  is  told  by  some 
historians  of  the  devoted  patriotism  of  two  Mexican  youths  of 
noble  rank.  Finding  Cortes  about  to  gain  the  tower,  they  re- 
solved to  sacrifice  themselves  for  the  good  of  their  country,  by 
involving  in  their  own  death  that  of  the  Spanish  leader.  With 
this  design,  they  advanced  to  Cortes,  and  pretended  to  kneel 
down,  as  if  demanding  quarter :  when  suddenly  seizing  him, 
they  dragged  him  to  the  edge  of  the  upper  area,  resolved  to 
hurl  themselves  down,  and  drag  him  in  their  fall.  Cortes,  by 
a  desperate  effort,  broke  from  their  grasp,  and  the  youths 
perished  in  their  unsuccessful  attempt. 
12 


134  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

causeways  to  prevent  their  escape,  Cortes  at  once 
caused  a  portable  bridge  to  be  made,  strong  enough 
to  allow  his  army  and  all  the  baggage  to  pass  the 
openings.  He  then  commanded  all  the  treasure 
that  had  been  collected  to  be  brought  forward,  and 
separating  the  fifth  part  which  belonged  to  the 
King,  left  the  rest  for  his  men  ;  at  the  same  time 
advising  them  not  to  load  themselves  with  it,  as  it 
might  prove  burdensome  in  their  perilous  retreat. 
He  next  ordered  the  plan  of  march.  The  van  of 
his  army,  consisting  of  two  hundred  of  his  best 
soldiers,  together  with  twenty  horsemen,  was 
placed  under  the  command  of  Sandoval,  aided  by 
Diego  de  Ordaz  and  Francisco  Lugo.  The  rear, 
which  contained  most  of  the  Spanish  troops,  was 
intrusted  to  Pedro  de  Alvarado  and  Velasquez  de 
Leon.  Cortes  himself,  aided  by  Christoval  de 
Olid  and  Davila,  took  charge  of  the  centre,  in 
which  were  placed  the  children  of  Montezuma, 
and  other  prisoners  of  distinction,  together  with 
the  baggage,  artillery,  and  portable  bridge.  The 
Tlascalans,  Chempoallans,  and  Cholulans,  amount- 
ing to  several  thousands,  were  scattered  among  the 
three  divisions.  To  aid  them  at  the  time  of  their 
departure,  the  night  set  in  densely  dark,  with  a 
thick  fog,  and  heavy  falls  of  rain.  At  midnight,, 
the  van  left  the  quarters,  and  the  other  divisions 
soon  followed.  In  deep  silence  they  moved  toward, 
the  causeway  of  Tacuba,  because  that  was  known 


HERNAN    CORTES.  135 

to  be  the  shortest,  and  least  frequented  by  the 
Mexicans.  They  reached  the  first  breach  unmo- 
lested, and  at  once  commenced  fixing  their  bridge 
for  a  passage. 

Suddenly  the  air  was  filled  with  the  loud  yells 
of  the  Mexicans.  They  had  watched  every  move- 
ment. The  priests  sounded  their  horns,  calling 
their  countrymen  to  battle  :  the  lake  was  covered 
with  a  thousand  canoes  ;  showers  of  stones  and 
arrows  were  poured  in  upon  the  Spaniards  from 
the  boats,  while  an  immense  number  eagerly 
thronged  the  causeway  to  oppose  them.  Unfortu- 
nately at  this  time,  the  bridge  broke  down  under 
the  heavy  weight  of  the  baggage  and  artillery. 
Some  of  the  Spaniards  who  had  gained  the  other 
side  hurried  to  the  second  breach,  while  their  poor 
companions  struggled  to  scramble  across  the  hor- 
rid chasm,  filled  up  now  with  one  confused  heap 
of  baggage,  cannon,  armor,  and  the  bodies  of  the 
■dead  and  dying.  All  was  confusion.  The  rain 
fell  in  torrents  ;  the  horses  plunged  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  both  sides  of  the  causeway  were  lined  with 
canoes,  from  which  one  continual  attack  was  kept 
-up  ;  the  Spaniards  never  before  had  witnessed  any- 
thing like  it.  The  bellowing  of  the  horses,  and  the 
shrieks  of  the  prisoners  hurried  away  for  sacrifice, 
filled  the  air  :  all  was  an  indescribable  scene  of 
horror.  With  fury  and  desperation,  many  of  the 
Spaniards  fought  their  way  over  the  dreadful  gap, 


136  THE    ADVENTURES  OF 

and  joined  their  companions  at  the  second  breach  ; 
while  the  largest  number  were  either  killed  on  the 
spot,  made  prisoners,  or  drowned.  At  the  second 
breach,  the  conflict  was  the  same.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  preserve  any  order  ;  friends  and  foes,  sol- 
diers and  officers,  horse  and  infantry,  men  and 
women,  were  all  struggling  there  in  one  wild 
scene  of  carnage  and  horror.  By  a  desperate 
exertion,  Cortes,  with  some  of  his  hardiest 
veterans,  forced  his  way  across  the  remaining 
breaches,  "  the  bodies  of  the  dead  serving  to  fill 
up  the  ditches."  Having  reached  the  firm  land, 
he  left  his  slender  force  with  Sandoval  and  Olid, 
who  had  managed  to  escape  with  him,  command- 
ing them  to  keep  in  perfect  order,  to  resist  any 
fresh  attack,  and  then  plunged  back  into  the  fight. 
His  heart  would  not  allow  him  to  leave  his  men  in 
their  deplorable  condition.  He  passed  and  repassed 
the  last  breaches  more  than  once,  sometimes  swim- 
ming, sometimes  scrambling  over  the  dead  :  here 
he  would  encourage  some  sinking  man  still  to 
fight ;  there  he  would  pull  some  drowning  man  to 
the  firm  land,  and  sometimes  drag  his  captive  com- 
rades from  the  very  hands  of  the  enemy.  His 
daring  struggles  are  almost  incredible.  The  suf- 
ferings of  his  men  roused  every  energy  ;  he  risked 
every  danger,  and  wonderful  is  it  that  he  was  not 
added  to  the  number  of  the  slain.  In  spite  of  all 
his  efforts,  however,  the  air  still  rang  with  the 


HERNAN    CORTES.  137 

savage  yells  of  the  Mexicans,  and  the  piercing 
shrieks  of  the  poor  captives.  It  was  impossible 
to  rescue  all  ;  he  did  all  that  man  could  do  ;  he  was 
heart-sick  over  his  own  inability.  Now  he  was 
joined  by  a  small  party,  which  he  found  belonged 
to  the  rear  division.  These  were  Alvarado,  bleed- 
ing freely,  and  scarcely  able  to  stand,  eight  Span- 
iards, and  as  many  Tlascalans,  all  wounded  and 
covered  with  blood.  Alvarado  declared  that  these 
were  all  that  remained  of  the  division  intrusted  to 
him  :  all  the  rest,  officers  as  well  as  men,  and 
among  them  Velasquez  de  Leon,  having  been 
killed  or  made  prisoners  ;  that  when  he  came  to 
the  third  breach,  not  being  able  to  face  the  enemy 
or  to  swim  across,  in  an  effort  of  despair  he  struck 
his  lance  in  the  bottom  of  the  ditch,  and  leaped  to 
the  other  side.     This  effort  saved  him.* 

The  dawn  of  the  next  day  found  the  Spaniards 
at  Popotla,  near  Tacuba,  and  showed  them  more 
fully  their  misery.  They  lay  scattered  around  at 
random,  wounded,  exhausted,  and  disheartened. 
More  than  half  the  Spaniards  had  perished,  with 
four  thousand  of  their  allies.  All  the  ammunition, 
artillery,  and  baggage  was  lost,  together  with  most 
of  the  horses.     No  treasure  whatever  was  saved  ; 

*  The  place  where  this  happened  still  goes  by  the  name  of 
"  Salto  de  Alvarado,"  or  Alvarado's  Leap  ;  and  this  dreadful 
night  is  still  spoken  of  in  New  Spain  as  "  Noche  iriste,"  or  the 
Night  of  Sorrow. 

12* 


138  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

those  soldiers  who  had  foolishly  laden  themselves 
with  it  having  perished  for  their  folly.  Well  nigh 
all  the  Mexican  prisoners  had  likewise  perished  ; 
among  them  the  prince  Cacamatzin,  a  brother,  a 
son,  and  two  daughters  of  Montezuma.  Velasquez 
de  Leon,  Francisco  Morla,  Francisco  Sancedo, 
and  Amador  de  Lariz,  with  many  other  Spanish 
officers,  were  missing.  The  gallant  De  Leon  had 
been  placed  in  command  of  the  extreme  detach- 
ment of  the  rear  division,  and  not  even  one  man 
of  his  party  was  now  to  be  found. 

The  scene  touched  the  heart  of  Cortes  ;  he  who 
could  brave  every  danger,  overcoming  every  fear, 
could  not  now  overcome  the  feelings  of  a  man. 
As  he  looked  upon  the  wretched  remnant  of  his 
army,  and  thought  of  his  brave  companions  who 
were  lost,  his  heart  swelled  with  sorrow ;  he  sat 
down  upon  a  stone,  and  the  tears  rolled  down  his 
face.  The  death  of  De  Leon  was  more  than  he 
could  well  bear.  He  was  not  only  a  gallant  com- 
rade in  arms,  but  a  friend  whose  heart  was  ever 
true  to  Cortes.  But  greater  disasters  were  possi- 
bly before  him  ;  and  while  this  thought  added  to 
his  misery,  it  taught  him  also  the  necessity  of 
rousing  his  energies.  Alvarado,  Sandoval,  Olid, 
Ordaz,  Davila,  and  Lugo,  were  still  around  him  ; 
his  faithful  friends  Doha  Marina,  Aguilar,  and 
Father  Olmedo,  were  yet  alive.  These,  with  the- 
poor  soldiers,  were  looking  to  him  as  their  leader,. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  139 

and  he  felt  the  necessity  of  action.  The  country 
all  around  was  in  arms  against  him  ;  a  shelter  from 
their  fury  was  to  be  found  immediately.  He  gath- 
ered his  little  force,  and  made  a  hurried  march  to 
Otoncalpolco,  a  temple  nine  miles  westward  from 
Mexico.  Here  parties  of  the  enemy  attacked  him 
from  time  to  time  through  the  day,  but  by  watch- 
fulness and  courage  he  managed  to  drive  them 
back.  Still  his  position  was  dangerous  :  if  a  large 
party  should  assault  him,  he  could  not  resist  long. 
He  longed  to  reach  Tlascala,  as  his  only  safe 
resting-place  ;  yet  it  was  far  distant,  and  he  knew 
that  the  Mexicans  were  watching  to  waylay  him. 
He  was  in  great  anxiety,  hesitating  what  he  should 
do,  when  a  Tlascalan  came  forward,  and  offered 
to  conduct  him  to  his  own  country  by  a  secret 
pathway. 


140 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


OLLOWING  their  Tlascalan 
guide,  the  Spaniards  under- 
took their  wearisome  march 
through  a  desolate  country  ; 
sometimes  struggling  through 
swamps,  and  then  scrambling 
over  mountains.  Parties  of 
Mexicans  pursued  and  hung 
upon  their  rear,  and  it  required  the 
utmost  vigilance  and  skill  to  avoid 
them.  Then,  too,  the  region  through 
which  they  were  moving  was  unin- 
habited, and  destitute  of  all  manner 
S  of  supplies  ;  they  ate  gladly  such  roots 
and  berries  as  they  could  find.  Arrived 
at  Zacamolco,  their  famine  was  so  great 
that  they  greedily  devoured  a  horse  that  had  been 
killed  that  day  by  the  Mexicans.  As  to  the  poor 
Tlascalans,  they  threw  themselves  upon  the  ground, 
and  piteously  implored  their  gods  to  help  them. 
Cortes  bore  himself  nobly  through  these  sorrows. 
All  eyes  were  upon  him,  and  his  example  roused 
and  animated  his  men.     At  length,  on  the  sixth 


HERNAN    CORTES.  141 

day  of  the  march,  they  came  near  Otompan.  Par- 
ties of  Mexicans  now  showed  themselves  more 
frequently,  and  some,  as  they  passed,  cried  out 
scornfully,  "Advance,  advance,  robbers,  to  receive 
the  reward  of  your  crimes  !"  The  valley  of  Otom- 
pan presently  burst  upon  their  sight,  covered  with 
warriors  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Two  hun- 
dred thousand  men,  headed  by  the  nobility  of  the 
country,  had  gathered  there  to  oppose  them  in  their 
march  to  Tlascala. 

The  hearts  of  the  Spaniards  now  sank  within 
them  ;  the  stoutest  among  them  were  dismayed  ; 
their  doom  was  at  hand.  Cortes  was  instantly 
roused  ;  he  saw  that  to  allow  them  to  shrink  from 
their  danger,  was  only  to  increase  it.  He  imme- 
diately drew  up  his  wretched  army,  and  flanking 
it  on  each  side  with  the  few  horsemen  he  could 
still  command,  cried  out  with  enthusiasm,  "  The 
moment  is  arrived  when  we  must  either  conquer  or 
perish  !  Castilians,  rouse  your  spirits,  place  your 
confidence  on  high,  and  advance  boldly  to  the 
charge  !"  With  this,  he  rushed  to  the  conflict. 
The  Indians  fought  with  the  fury  of  revenge,  the 
Spaniards  with  the  fury  of  despair.  More  than 
once  the  brave  band  of  Cortes  broke  through  the 
lines  of  the  enemy,  but  new  multitudes  thronged 
upon  them  instantly.  They  were  overpowered 
with  numbers.  For  four  hours  this  horrid  fight 
continued.     Cortes  perceived  his  men  falling  fast9 


142  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

some  dead,  and  others  dying ;  all  seemed  well 
nigh  lost  A  bold  thought  now  struck  him.  He 
remembered  to  have  heard  that  the  Mexicans  were 
always  routed  when  their  general  was  slain  and 
their  standard  taken.  He  determined  to  make  one 
last  effort.  Cihuacatzin,  the  leader  of  the  Indians, 
was  in  the  midst  of  his  troops,  sitting  upon  his 
litter,  surrounded  by  a  guard  ;  and  the  standard, 
fastened  to  his  back,  was  floating  over  his  head. 
Cortes,  calling  to  Alvarado,  Sandoval,  Olid,  and 
Davila,  to  follow  him  close  and  guard  him  from 
attack,  dashed  toward  the  general.  With  a  des- 
perate fury  he  broke  through  the  crowd,  reached 
the  centre  of  the  army,  and  with  one  blow  of  his 
lance  laid  Cihuacatzin  on  the  ground.  One  of  the 
brave  Spaniards  who  followed  leaped  from  his 
horse,  tore  the  standard  from  the  general,  and  in- 
stantly despatched  him.  In  a  moment,  the  enemy 
was  in  confusion  ;  the  hopes  of  the  Spaniards  re- 
vived :  they  pressed  hard  upon  them,  routed  and 
pursued  them.  They  gained  their  victory,  how- 
ever, at  a  great  sacrifice.  Numbers  of  the  Span- 
iards and  Tlascalans  were  slain,  and  every  survivor 
carried  his  wounds.  Cortes  himself  was  danger- 
ously wounded  by  a  blow  on  the  head.  Yet  the 
conquerors  left  dead  upon  that  field  twenty  thou- 
sand of  the  enemy.* 

*  It  is  said  that  in  this  battle,  a  woman,  called  Maria  de  Es- 
trada, particularly  distinguished  herself.  With  her  lance  and 
shield,  she  was  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  conflict,  bearing  herself 
with  extraordinary  courage. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  143 

With  the  remnant  of  his  army  (only  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  men),  Cortes  now  marched  without 
further  trouble  into  the  Tlascalan  territories.  Here 
he  was  received  with  great  kindness  ;  indeed,  the 
kindness  of  the  Tlascalans  increased  with  his 
misfortunes.  They  ministered  in  every  way  to 
the  comfort  of  his  feeble  but  victorious  army.  But, 
unfortunately,  some  of  his  own  men  began  once 
more  to  trouble  him.  Wearied  with  their  continual 
hardships,  the  soldiers  of  Narvaez  returned  to  their 
murmurs  ;  and,  strange  to  tell,  among  these  mur- 
murers  was  Andres  de  Duero,  the  friend  of  Cortes. 
The  discontent  increased ;  the  disaffected  held 
meetings  from  time  to  time,  and  at  last  signed  and 
sent  a  remonstrance  to  Cortes,  urging  him  to  aban- 
don the  country  and  return  to  Cuba. 

Cortes  received  this  with  great  self-possession, 
but  in  deep  sorrow.  His  spirit  was  unbroken  by 
his  trials  ;  though  misfortune  had  followed  him,  he 
still  carried  in  his  heart  the  fixed  resolution  of  con- 
quering Mexico.  With  such  a  determination,  he 
could  not  well  part  with  any  of  his  men.  The 
best  mode  of  silencing  their  murmurs  was  to  keep 
them  busy,  and  he  soon  found  employment  for 
them.  The  people  of  Tepejacac  had  sworn  alli- 
ance to  Cortes,  but  in  the  midst  of  his  misfortunes 
had  treacherously  taken  up  arms  against  the  Span- 
iards, and  cut  off  a  body  of  his  countrymen  on  their 
march  from  Chempoalla  to  Mexico.     Cortes  re- 


144  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

solved  to  punish  them  for  this  conduct.  With  much 
difficulty,  he  persuaded  his  men  to  join  him  in  this 
effort,  the  followers  of  Narvaez  at  length  assenting, 
because  the  Spaniards  that  had  been  slaughtered 
belonged  to  their  party.  xVt  the  head  of  four  thou- 
sand Tlascalans,  together  with  his  men,  he  now 
set  out  for  these  people. 

He  soon  subdued  the  Tepejacacans,  penetrating 
even  to  their  principal  town.     This  region  being 
fertile,  and  directly  on  the  road  to  Villa  Rica,  he 
established  in  it  a  settlement,  which  he  called 
Segura  de  la  Frontera.     Intent  upon  keeping  his 
men  employed,  he  continued  his  marches  now  in 
various  directions.     For  months  he  pursued  this 
line  of  conduct,  meeting  with  success  in  almost 
every  engagement.  These  little  advantages,  though 
slight,  cheered  him  in  the  thought  of  conquering 
Mexico.     He  would  not  abandon  that  idea.  ,  In- 
deed, his  resolution  on  this  point  was  so  fixed,  that 
he  had  already  ordered  a  quantity  of  timber  to  be 
cut  in  the  forests  of  Tlascala  for  the  construction 
of  twelve  brigantines,  that  he  might  get  command 
of  the  lake  ;  and  Martin  Lopez,  an  experienced 
shipwright,  was  now  busy  at  this  work.     What 
he  most  needed  was  an  addition  to  his  numbers  ; 
with  his   little  force,  he   could   hardly  hope   to 
achieve  that  conquest.     Fortune  now  smiled  on 
him.     Diego  Velasquez,  ignorant  of  the  fate  of 
Narvaez,  sent  Pedro  Barba  with  a  small  company 


HERNAN    CORTES.  145 

to  the  country,  bearing  letters  to  Narvaez.  These 
letters  brought  positive  orders  to  Narvaez  to  send 
Cortes,  if  alive,  to  Cuba  that  he  might  be  taken 
thence  in  fetters  to  Spain  ;  such  being  the  com- 
mand of  the  Bishop  of  Burgos.*  Barba  and  his 
followers  were  artfully  decoyed  on  shore  by  the 
men  at  Villa  Rica,  seized,  and  sent  prisoners  to 
Cortes.  The  Spanish  chief,  with  his  usual  policy, 
received  them  as  friends  and  countrymen,  and  soon 
persuaded  them  to  join  his  enterprise.  Barba  now 
informed  him  that  another  vessel  would  soon  ap- 
pear off  the  coast,  laden  with  supplies.  By  good 
management,  the  crew  and  cargo  of  this  vessel 
were  also  secured.  In  a  little  time,  a  much  larger 
reinforcement  was  added  to  him.  The  party  sent 
out  under  Pineda,  by  Garay,  the  Governor  of 
Jamaica,  to  establish  a  settlement  at  Panuco,  had 
all  been  destroyed ;  and  the  Governor,  ignorant  of 
this  fact,  now  sent  another  body,  under  Camarjo, 
to  aid  Pineda  in  his  labors.  This  second  party, 
learning  the  fate  of  their  countrymen,  and  being  at 
the  same  time  afflicted  with  the  diseases  of  the 
country,  sought  refuge  in  the  settlement  at  Vera 
Cruz.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Frontera,  found 
Cortes,  and  at  once  entered  his  service.  Other 
bodies  sent  out  by  Garay,  for  the  same  purpose  of 
aiding  the  colony  at  Panuco,  followed  their  example, 

*  The  Bishop  of  Burgos  had  the  principal  charge  of  West 
India  affairs  in  Spain.     He  was  a  warm  friend  to  the  Governor 
of  Cuba,  and,  of  course,  an  enemy  to  Cortes. 
13 


146  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

and  Cortes  soon  found,  to  his  great  joy,  that  he  had 
added  to  his  numbers  very  unexpectedly  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  men  and  twenty  horses.  His 
hopes*  for  the  conquest  were  now  brightening. 

To  his  sorrow,  however,  the  followers  of  Nar- 
vaez  again  returned  to  their  murmurs.  They  urged 
more  earnestly  than  ever  that  they  ought  to  be  sent 
back  to  Cuba.  Cortes  perceived  that  the  spirit  of 
discontent  was  growing,  and  felt  that  it  was  better 
to  lose  these  men,  than  to  allow  them  to  remain  any 
longer,  spreading  dissatisfaction  in  his  army.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  issued  his  proclamation,  stating  that 
all  those  who  wished  to  return  to  Cuba  might  do 
so,  and  that  a  safe  passage  should  be  immediately 
furnished  for  them.  Some  of  the  discontented 
were  now  ashamed,  and  determined  to  remain  ;  but 
the  larger  part  resolved  to  start,  and  among  these 
was  Andres  de  Duero.  Cortes  selected  one  of  the 
best  vessels  that  had  belonged  to  Narvaez,  and 
allowed  them  to  embark.  At  the  same  time  he 
sent  Diego  de  Ordaz  and  Alonzo  de  Mendoza  to 
Spain,  to  represent  his  conduct,  and  keep  an  eye 
on  the  Bishop  of  Burgos.  Alonzo  Davila  was  also 
sent  to  Hispaniola,  to  tell  of  their  hardships  and 
sufferings,  the  jealousy  of  Velasquez,  and  the  cru- 
elty of  the  Bishop  of  Burgos,  and  beg  assistance 
for  the  enterprise  ;  while  another  officer  was 
despatched  to  Jamaica,  with  power  to  enlist  sol- 
diers, and  purchase  horses  and  supplies. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  147 

Having  despatched  these,  he  hurried  his  prepa- 
rations for  the  siege  of  Mexico.  The  timber  for 
his  ships  being  nearly  ready,  and  the  cordage, 
cables,  sails,  and  other  rigging,  brought  over  from 
Tilla  Rica,  he  saw  nothing  to  delay  his  march 
toward  the  capital.  He  called  his  officers  together, 
and,  after  consultation,  it  was  determined  to  make 
their  head-quarters  at  Tezcuco,  as  that  seemed  the 
place  best  adapted  for  annoying  the  enemy.  Mes- 
sages were  now  sent  to  the  confederate  Indians, 
to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  at  any  moment, 
and  the  troops  were  reviewed.  Cortes  found  that 
lie  still  had  five  hundred  and  fifty  infantry,  among 
whom  were  eighty  musketeers  and  crossbow -men, 
and  nine  pieces  of  artillery.  Besides  these,  there 
were  forty  horsemen  :  and  to  the  whole  he  added 
an  army  of  ten  thousand  Tlascalans.  This  was 
his  force  for  the  conquest  of  Mexico.  On  the 
28th  of  December  (six  months  after  his  fatal  re- 
treat), he  moved  again  toward  the  capital. 

Mexico  was  now  in  a  far  different  condition 
from  that  in  which  Cortes  left  it.  The  six  months 
that  had  passed  away  had  been  improved  by  its 
citizens.  Cuitlahuitzin,Hhe  successor  of  Monte- 
zuma, had  not  only  distinguished  himself  by  his 
bold  attack  upon  the  Spaniards  on  the  night  of  their 
retreat,  but  he  had  repaired  the  damages  done  to 
his  city  by  the  invaders,  made  fortifications,  and 
billed  the  magazines  with  armor.     With  all  this  he 


148  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

had,  if  possible,  infused  into  his  countrymen  a  still 
more  deadly  hatred  of  the  Spaniards.  But  in  the 
midst  of  these  labors,  he  had  been  cut  down  by 
the  small  pox,*  and  now  Guatimozin,  the  nephew 
of  Montezuma,  ruled  over  the  kingdom.  He  was 
a  very  young  man,  but  had  exhibited  such  daring 
courage  and  great  ability,  that  the  people  had  called 
him  to  the  throne. 

At  the  end  of  three  days,  without  any  opposition, 
Cortes  entered  Tezcuco.  The  streets  were  com- 
pletely deserted  ;  neither  men,  women,  nor  chil- 
dren, were  to  be  seen.  The  people  had  carried 
their  goods  to  the  forests,  or  the  borders  of  the 
lake,  while  the  lord  of  Tezcuco  and  the  nobles  had 
fled  to  Mexico.  Cortes  soon  learned  that  Tezcuco 
was  divided  into  two  parties,  and  instantly  took 
advantage  of  it.  The  prince  who  had  fled  was 
said  to  be  an  usurper,  who  had  murdered  his  elder 
brother,  and  his  usurpation  had  been  aided  by  the 
King  of  Mexico.  At  the  same  time  a  youth  was 
pointed  out  to  Cortes  as  the  lawful  heir,  and  he 
immediately  caused  him  to  be  proclaimed  lord  of 
Tezcuco.  He  succeeded  in  persuading  this  youth 
to  embrace  Christianity,  and  at  his  baptism  he  re- 
ceived the  name  of  Hern  an  Cortes,  the  Spanish 
chief  standing  as  the  godfather.  Cortes  then  ap- 
pointed Escobar  and  two  other  Spaniards  to  attend 

*  The  small  pox  had  been  introduced  into  the  kingdom  by  a 
slave  who  came  into  the  country  with  Narvaez. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  149 

upon  the  new  lord.  Terms  of  friendship  were  at 
once  made  :  the  young  man  engaging  to  do  all  in 
his  power  to  aid  the  Spaniards  ;  which  engagement, 
it  is  said,  he  kept  religiously. 

Having  thus  arranged  matters  at  Tezcuco,  re- 
membering certain  acts  of  Cuitlahuitzin,  the  former 
lord  of  Iztapalapan,  he  determined  to  attack  that 
city.  Accordingly,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty-five  Spaniards  and  all  the  Tlascalan 
army,  he  marched  against  it.  At  their  approach, 
all  the  inhabitants  fled  to  their  canoes.  The  Span- 
iards took  possession  without  any  trouble,  and  as 
the  night  was  coming  on,  resolved  to  make  their 
quarters  there.  They  had  scarcely  retired,  when 
the  water  began  to  rise  and  overflow  the  city.  The 
Iztapalapans  had  broken  the  mole  of  the  lake, 
hoping  to  drown  them.  The  Tezcucans  gave  the 
alarm  in  time,  and,  with  great  difficulty,  Cortes 
made  good  his  retreat.  He  lost,  however,  two  of 
his  men,  a  number  of  Tlascalans,  and  one  of  the 
horses.  This  ingenuity  of  the  Indians  troubled 
him  very  much  ;  he  felt  that  his  enemies  were 
more  dangerous  than  he  had  supposed  them  to  be. 

His  next  effort  was  to  get  possession  of  the  two 
towns  of  Chalco  and  Tlalmamalco,  places  of  great 
importance  to  the  Spaniards,  as  they  lay  directly 
between  Tlascala  and  Tezcuco.  Accordingly, 
Sandoval  and  Lugo  were  sent  with  a  body  of  two 
hundred  men  to  drive  the  Mexicans  from  them. 
13* 


150  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

This  they  easily  accomplished.  Messengers  now 
came  from  Mizquic,  Otompan,  and  other  cities, 
begging  the  protection  of  the  Spaniards  ;  all  of 
whom  Cortes  received  very  kindly,  readily  making 
terms  with  them. 

All  the  materials  for  building  his  vessels  bein£ 
at  length  ready,  Cortes  determined  to  have  them 
brought  from  Tlascala  to  Tezcuco.  This  was 
an  important  business,  and  Sandoval  was  selected 
to  perform  it.  On  the  way  to  Tlascala  was  the 
town  of  Zoltepec,  whose  inhabitants  (at  the  time 
when  Cortes  was  hurrying  to  the  relief  of  Alvara- 
do)  had  surprised  and  murdered  forty  Spaniards 
and  three  hundred  Tlascalans,  on  their  march  from 
Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico.  Cortes  was  resolved  to 
punish  them  for  this  act,  and  consequently  gave 
orders  to  Sandoval  to  stop  there  and  chastise 
them  on  his  way.  When  Sandoval  approached 
this  city,  the  inhabitants  fled.  He  pursued 
them,  and  made  many  prisoners.  The  pite- 
ous cries  of  the  women,  however,  induced  him 
to  spare  them  all ;  they  expressed  great  sorrow 
for  what  they  had  done,  and  he  only  exacted 
from  them  a  promise  of  obedience  and  good  con- 
duct for  the  future.  This  was  the  more  generous 
in  the  leader,  inasmuch  as  he  discovered  many 
things  to  rouse  his  revenge.  In  one  of  the  tem- 
ples, he  saw  the  walls  and  idols  besmeared  with 
the  blood  of  his  countrymen  ;  while  the  skins  of 


HERNAN    CORTES.  15! 

two  of  their  faces,  together  with  those  of  four 
horses,  were  hung  upon  the  altars.  On  a  wall  in 
one  of  the  houses  he  found  this  inscription  :  "  In 
this  place  Juan  Zuste  and  his  wretched  compan- 
ions were  confined."  From  Zoltepec,  Sandoval 
moved  on  to  Tlascala,  wnere  he  found  all  ready, 
and  Chichimecatl,  with  a  large  army  of  Tlascalans, 
prepared  to  start.  Eight  thousand  men  were  em- 
ployed in  carrying  the  timbers,  cordage,  and  other 
materials.  A  Spanish  guard  went  before  them, 
and  a  guard  of  allies  was  placed  on  each  side. 
In  this  mode  they  marched  out  from  Tlascala. 
Flying  parties  of  Indians  sometimes  were  seen, 
but  none  dared  to  approach  them.  At  length  they 
came  near  to  Tezcuco.  Great  was  the  joy  now 
of  the  Spaniards  in  that  city.  Cortes  and  his  offi- 
cers came  out  to  meet  the  procession,  and  the 
Spanish  leader,  with  great  delight,  embraced  Chi- 
chimecatl and  two  other  chiefs,  and  thanked  them 
for  their  great  kindness.  Six  hours  were  spent  in 
entering  Tezcuco.  It  was  a  perfect  jubilee.  The 
allies,  dressed  in  their  finest  garments,  and  decked 
off  with  their  gay  plumes,  marched  through  the 
streets,  sounding  their  horns  and  beating  their 
drums,  while  the  air  rang  with  the  shouts  of  tri- 
umph for  Castile  and  Tlascala. 

Martin  Lopez,  the  shipwright,  now  declared  that 
it  required  twenty  days  to  make  ready  for  the 
launching,  and  Cortes  determined  to  keep  his  men 


{152  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

employed  in  the  mean  time  in  reducing  the  cities  that 
were  friendly  to  Guatimozin.  Leaving  Sandoval  at 
Tezcuco,  with  a  party  of  his  followers  he  attacked 
the  cities  of  Xaltocan  and  Tacubs,  the  first  of 
which  was  plundered  and  partly  destroyed  by  fire. 
Upon  his  return,  Sandoval  sallied  out  and  routed 
their  enemies  at  Huaxtepec  and  Jacapitchtla.  To 
add  to  their  joy  at  this  time,  a  further  reinforce- 
ment of  Spaniards  arrived  at  Tezcuco,  under  Ju- 
lian de  Alderete.  Alderete  stated  that  the  vessel 
which  had  brought  him  was  now  lying  at  Vera 
Cruz,  laden  with  military  stores  for  the  army,  and 
(what  was  still  better  news  for  Cortes)  that  the 
Bishop  of  Burgos,  one  of  his  principal  enemies, 
had  been  deposed  from,  his  authority  over  the  West 
Indies. 

Motives  of  policy,  as  well  as  the  desire  to  pre- 
serve the  city  of  Mexico  (for  Cortes  felt  assured 
now  that  he  should  conquer  it),  prompted  the  Span- 
ish leader  to  send  messengers  to  Guatimozin,  pro- 
posing to  make  terms  of  peace.  Guatimozin,  how- 
ever, would  listen  to  no  terms  ;  he  sent  back  a 
scornful  answer,  and  Cortes  at  once  returned  to  his 
depredations.  The  city  of  Quauhnahuac  was  next 
attacked  and  reduced.  Thence  he  sallied  against 
Xochimilco,  a  large  town  on  the  lake  of  Chalco. 
Here  multitudes  had  gathered  to  oppose  him  ;  they 
had  cut  down  the  bridges  to  stop  him,  and  erected 
palisades  to  shelter  themselves.     The  eager  Span- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  153 

iards  dashed  into  the  stream,  and  many  lost  their 
lives  in  attempting  to  swim  over.  The  battle  was 
fierce  on  both  sides.  In  this  struggle  Cortes  came 
near  losing  his  life.  His  horse  fell  under  him, 
while  surrounded  by  the  enemy :  he  was  instantly 
knocked  down  ;  a  crowd  seized  him  and  were  car- 
rying him  off  in  triumph.  At  this  moment,  Chris- 
toval  de  Olid,  perceiving  his  perilous  condition^ 
dashed  forward  with  a  body  of  Tlascalans,  and,  by 
a  mighty  effort,  rescued  him.  Cortes  and  Olid 
both  received  dangerous  wounds  on  the  head. 
Many  of  his  soldiers  being  also  wounded,  he  was 
forced  to  remain  four  days  at  this  place,  that  they 
might  all  recruit.  During  this  time,  the  enemy 
annoyed  them  very  much.  A  party  of  four  of  his 
men  having  wandered  off  to  sack  a  house  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  the  Mexicans  came  in  canoes, 
surrounded  it,  and  carried  them  off.  These  unfor- 
tunate captives  were  taken  to  Guatimozin,  who  ex- 
amined them  very  particularly  as  to  the  numbers 
that  followed  Cortes.  After  gaining  from  them  all 
the  information  he  could,  he  ordered  their  hands 
and  feet  to  be  cut  off.  In  this  condition  they  were 
exhibited  through  the  country,  until  at  length  he 
commanded  that  they  should  be  killed. 

To  his  surprise,  Cortes  discovered  now  that  some 
of  his  men  were  still  disaffected  ;  indeed,  that  this 
disaffection  had  even  ripened  into  a  plot  to  destroy 
him.    The  few  remaining  soldiers  of  Narvaez  were 


154  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

once  more  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  The  princi- 
pal man  among  them  was  Antonio  Villafaiia.  He 
was  still  a  warm  friend  to  Velasquez,  and,  of  course, 
disliked  the  Spanish  leader.  Though  a  private 
soldier,  he  was  a  man  of  uncommon  power  ;  ener- 
getic, resolute,  and  persuasive,  he  secretly  cher- 
ished discontent  among  the  men  with  great  success. 
From  time  to  time  they  met  at  his  quarters,  until 
at  length,  having  prepared  them  for  action,  he 
boldly  proposed  that  they  should  murder  Cortes 
•and  his  principal  officers,  give  the  command  of  the 
army  to  a  brother-in-law  of  Velasquez,  and  force 
him  to'  take  them  back  to  Cuba.  They  all  wel- 
comed the  proposition,  bound  themselves  by  an 
oath,  and  signed  their  names  to  a  paper  presented 
by  Villafaiia.  Their  plan  was  to  murder  them 
while  at  table  :  a  letter,  feigned  to  have  come  from 
Vera  Cruz,  was  to  be  presented  to  Cortes,  and 
while  he  was  engaged  in  reading  it,  the  fatal  blow 
was  to  be  given.  Others  soon  joined  them  ;  they 
felt  strong ;  the  day  was  fixed.  On  the  eve  of  that 
clay,  a  soldier  (one  of  the  original  followers  of 
Cortes)  came  to  the  commander,  and  begged  that 
he  might  see  him  privately.  His  request  was  im- 
mediately granted.  He  now  threw  himself  at  the 
feet  of  Cortes,  unfolded  the  whole  plan,  and  im- 
plored his  forgiveness  ;  he  was  one  of  the  con- 
spirators, but  had  not  the  heart  to  be  so  longer. 
The  news  startled  Cortes  ;  yet  he  was,  as  usual, 


HERNAN    CORTES.  155 

self-possessed.  He  instantly  summoned  Sando- 
val, Alvarado,  and  some  others  of  the  intended 
victims,  and  proceeded  to  Villafaha's  quarters. 
Numbers  were  there  ;  they  were  taken  by  surprise  ; 
they  looked  like  guilty  men.  Some  tried  to  es- 
cape, but  were  immediately  taken.  Cortes  himself 
seized  Villafana,  and  snatched  from  his  bosom  the 
paper  containing  the  names  of  the  conspirators. 
The  accomplices  of  Villafana  were  carried  to  pris- 
on, while  he  was  immediately  brought  to  trial.  His 
guilt  was  proved,  he  was  condemned  to  die,  and 
the  next  morning  was  seen  hano-ing  before  the 
door  of  his  quarters. 

The  paper  showed  names  surprising  to  Cortes  : 
the  conspiracy  was  far  deeper  than  he  had  sup- 
posed. It  was  impossible,  however,  to  bring  these 
men  to  execution  ;  he  could  not  spare  them.  With 
great  presence  of  mind,  he  ordered  the  prisoners 
to  be  set  at  liberty,  and  then  assembled  all  his 
troops.  He  now  told  them  of  the  awful  plot  that  had 
threatened  destruction  to  all  their  hopes.  Pointing 
to  the  body  of  Villafana,  he  called  on  them  to  look 
upon  the  traitor,  declaring  that  he  was  very  happy 
that  his  doom  fell  upon  no  other  Spaniard  ;  that 
there  were  other  conspirators,  but  he  was  ignorant 
as  to  who  they  were  ;  he  himself  had  arrested 
Villafaiia,  but  in  his  confusion  and  fright  the  guilty 
man  had  swallowed  a  paper  containing  the  names 
of  his  accomplices  ;  and  who  these  accomplices 


156  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

might  be,  could  now  never  be  known.  The  guilty- 
men  in  the  crowd  were  at  once  relieved  ;  they 
fancied  they  were  unsuspected,  while  at  the  same 
time  their  leader  knew  them  all,  and  watched  them 
closely. 

In  a  little  time,  they  were  gathered  together  on 
a  more  joyous  occasion.  Martin  Lopez  had  worked 
diligently,  and  all  was  now  ready  for  the  launch. 
The  Spaniards  having  attended  mass  and  received 
the  communion,  the  whole  army  was  drawn  up  on 
the  banks  of  the  canal.  The  brigantines  glided 
gently  into  the  water,  while  Father  Olmedo  stood 
by  to  bless  them  and  give  their  names.  The  sails 
were  then  hoisted,  to  try  them  ;  and,  as  they 
ploughed  the  water,  the  "  te  DeunC  was  chanted, 
while  the  words  echoed  with  the  roar  of  artillery 
and  shouts  of  joy. 


HERNAN    CORTES. 


157 


CHAPTER    IX. 


ORTES  reviewed  his  army 
once  more,  preparatory  to  his 
attack  upon  the  city  of  Mex- 
ico. He  found  that  he  had 
eighty-six  horsemen,  eight 
hundred  infantry,  together  with 
three  large  cannons,  fifteen 
small  field-pieces,  a  thousand 
pounds  of  gunpowder,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  balls  and  arrows.  To 
these  he  added  an  immense  number 
of  Tlarcalans  and  other  allies,  and 
then  divided  his  army  into  three 
parts,  placing  over  these  his  well-tried 
officers  Sandoval,  Alvarado,  and  Olid. 
The  towns  of  Tepejacac,  Tacuba,  and 
Cojohuacan,  were  situated  on  the  causeways,  and 
served  to  guard  the  city  from  the  first  attacks.  The 
three  divisions  were  to  take  possession  of  these 
three  places,  while  Cortes  himself  took  the  com- 
mand of  the  fleet,  which  was  considered  the  most 
important  part  of  the  enterprise. 

The  parties  soon  set  out  for  their  respective 
14 


158  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

positions.  Alvarado  and  Olid  in  a  little  time- 
reached  Tacuba.  The  aqueduct  of  Chapoltepec 
passed  through  this  place,  affording  a  supply  of 
fresh  water  to  the  Mexican  capital.  This  they 
determined  to  destroy,  and  at  once  set  to  the  work. 
The  Mexicans  opposed  them  fiercely ;  the  strug- 
gle was  a  hard  one,  but  at  length  they  succeeded 
in  cutting  off  the  pipes.  Flushed  with  success, 
they  now  attempted  to  take  possession  of  the  first 
bridge  on  the  causeway  of  Tacuba.  As  they  ap- 
proached this  spot,  they  found  immense  numbers 
gathered  to  oppose  them ;  the  causeway  was 
thronged  with  the  enemy,  while  each  side  was 
lined  with  canoes,  from  which  the  Mexicans  poured 
in  their  arrows.  At  the  first  discharge,  three  Span- 
iards were  slain  and  thirty  wounded.  The  Span- 
iards only  fought  the  more  fiercely  ;  yet,  after  all 
their  efforts,  they  were  forced  to  retreat  to  Tacuba, 
eight  of  their  number  being  dead,  and  more  than 
fifty  wounded.  Leaving  Alvarado,  Olid  pushed  on 
to  his  station  at  Cojohuacan. 

In  the  mean  time,  Cortes  had  brought  the  fleet 
out  on  the  lake,  and  after  various  manoeuvres,  pro- 
ceeded to  attack  a  rock  near  the  city,  where  a 
large  number  of  the  inhabitants  had  fled  for  refuge. 
The  Mexicans,  perceiving  his  design,  sent  out 
their  whole  naval  force  (consisting  of  four  thou- 
sand canoes)  against  his  brigantines.  Cortes  now 
moved  fairly  out  into  the  lake,  and  formed  his  fleet 


HERNAN    CORTES.  159 

in  the  shape  of  a  crescent  to  receive  them.  As 
they  came  near,  the  sails  of  the  brigantines  were 
spread,  and  they  dashed  through  them,  over- 
turning some,  and  scattering  the  rest,  to  the  great 
loss  of  the  Mexicans.  Olid  had  now  reached 
his  post,  and  from  the  temple  at  Cojohuacan  saw 
the  conflict  on  the  lake.  He  instantly  pushed 
along  the  causeway  toward  the  city,  drove  the 
Mexicans  from  some  of  the  trenches,  and  took  pos- 
session. Cortes  now  attacked  the  bastion  called 
Xoloc,  situated  at  the  angle  made  by  the  junction 
of  the  roads  of  Cojohuacan  and  Iztapalapan.  The 
Mexicans  defended  the  place  with  great  obstinacy  ; 
multitudes  fell  in  their  efforts  to  save  it,  but  it  was 
stormed  and  taken.  As  this  was  a  spot  of  great 
importance,  and  in  direct  communication  with  the 
division  of  Olid,  Cortes  determined  to  establish  his 
camp  here.  The  three  divisions  were  now  on  the 
three  causeways,  and,  as  the  principal  attacks  of 
the  enemy  were  from  the  canoes  that  lined  them, 
he  distributed  his  fleet  so  as  to  protect  the  three 
divisions  in  their  three  efforts  against  the  city — 
giving  orders  that  they  were  to  be  managed  in  strict 
obedience  to  the  three  officers  in  command.  The 
siege  now  regularly  commenced. 

From  this  moment,  a  series  of  attacks,  retreats, 
skirmishes,  and  manoeuvres,  were  going  on  upon 
the  causeways.  The  causeway  of  Tacuba  was 
the  shortest,  and  it  was  supposed  that  Alvarado 


160  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

would  be  the  first,  therefore,  to  enter  the  city.  But 
the  fact  that  it  was  the  shortest  caused  it  to  be  the 
most  carefully  guarded.  Every  morning,  Alvarado 
renewed  his  attempt,  and  each  day  met  with  a- 
sharp  opposition.  At  night,  the  Mexicans  repaired 
whatever  damage  he  had  done,  and  in  the  morning 
showed  themselves  as  stubborn  as  ever ;  while  the 
Spaniards,  regardless  of  wounds,  endeavored  to 
push  their  way  onward  to  the  capital,  and  were 
continually  disappointed  in  their  hope  of  reaching 
it.  Alvarado  perceived  now,  to  his  sorrow,  that 
the  destruction  of  the  aqueduct  of  Chapoltepec 
had  not  taken  from  the  city  its  supply  of  water. 
Canoes  were  seen  continually  by  night  bringing 
casks  from  the  towns  on  the  borders  of  the 
lake.  Provisions  were  brought  in  the  same  way  ; 
thus  defeating  the  hope  of  reducing  the  city  by 
famine.  Two  of  the  brigantines  were  set  to  watch 
these  boats  and  intercept  them,  but  the  cunning 
of  the  Mexicans  defeated  this.  Their  canoes  were 
sailing  in  every  direction,  to  beguile  them.  So  far 
from  being  taken  themselves,  they  even  contrived 
to  tempt  the  two  brigantines  near  the  border  of  the 
lake,  where  thirty  of  their  largest  boats  lay  in  am- 
bush. An  attack  was  instantly  made  :  the  brigan- 
tines could  not  well  be  worked  in  that  position ; 
every  Spaniard  was  wounded,  and  one  of  the  cap- 
tains killed.  To  increase  the  difficulty  of  the  siege, 
periodical  rains  now  set  in  ;  these,  however,  did 


HERNAN    CORTES.  161 

not  deter  Alvarado  and  his  followers  from  their  at- 
tempts, though  these  attempts  were  still  unsuccess- 
ful. Whatever  advance  he  made,  however,  was  a 
safe  one  ;  if  he  gained  a  foot  of  ground,  he  kept  it. 
Houses  were  destroyed  and  ditches  filled  behind 
him  as  far  as  he  passed,  to  enable  him  to  make 
good  his  retreat,  if  it  became  necessary.  Very 
much  the  same  scenes  were  passing  on  the  other 
causeways.  Daily  efforts  were  made,  both  by 
land  and  water,  to  force  an  entrance  into  the  city, 
and  all  proved  unsuccessful. 

At  last,  wearied  and  mortified  with  continued 
disappointment,  Cortes  resolved  upon  a  general  as- 
sault. Accordingly,  he  commanded  Alvarado  and 
Sandoval  to  lead  on  their  divisions,  regardless  of 
all  opposition,  while  he  himself  took  the  command 
of  the  division  at  Cojohuacan.  The  order  was  in- 
stantly obeyed  :  the  three  divisions  moved  forward. 
The  Mexicans  met  them  with  the  fury  of  madmen  ; 
their  opposition  was  tremendous.  In  spite  of  this 
opposition,  however,  Cortes  continued  to  gain 
ground,  carrying  everything  before  him.  Julian 
de  Alderete,  according  to  command  that  he  should 
follow  on  and  fill  up  all  ditches  behind  him,  was 
close  upon  him,  but,  in  the  ardor  of  the  struggle, 
neglected  this  necessary  duty.  The  Mexicans  at 
length  fled  before  Cortes,  in  apparent  dismay,  and 
he  reached  the  capital.  This  was  only  a  strata- 
gem :  the  design  was  to  bring  him  beyond  the  nar- 
14* 


162  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

tow  pass  in  the  causeway.  He  had  no  sooner 
entered  the  city,  than  the  big  drum  was  struck,  the 
horns  in  the  temple  sent  forth  their  blasts  :  the- 
Mexicans  raised  their  horrid  yells,  and  at  once 
flocked  to  the  causeway.  Alarmed  for  the  safety 
of  his  men,  Cortes  ordered  a  retreat.  Accordingly, 
they  commenced  retreating,  but  when  they  reached 
the  narrow  pass,  all '  was  confusion.  Multitudes 
pressed  upon  them  by  land,  arrows  were  showered 
upon  them  from  the  boats  ;  it  was  now  a  general 
rout.  Struggling  to  escape,  the  men  pushed  on 
only  to  plunge  into  the  big  ditch  left  open  by  Al- 
derete.  In  that  fatal  gap  fell  men  and  horses, 
Spaniards  and  Indians,  all  in  one  mighty  struggle. 
Cortes  was  still  self-possessed  ;  regardless  of  his 
life,  he  plunged  into  the  gap,  animating  some,  and 
rescuing  others.  Many  a  sinking  companion  did 
he  save  that  day.  In  the  midst  of  these  noble 
struggles,  he  received  a  wound  in  the  leg ;  six 
Mexicans  seized  him,  and  were  carrying  him  off 
in  triumph.  At  this  critical  moment,  two  brave 
Spaniards,  Olea  and  Lerma,  rushed  to  his  rescue. 
Olea  killed  four  of  the  Mexicans,  and  then  lost  his 
own  life  ;  while  Lerma,  sinking  with  his  wounds, 
would  likewise  have  been  a  captive,  had  not  Qui- 
nones,  with  a  body  of  Spaniards  and  Tlascalans, 
at  that  instant  snatched  them  from  their  danger. 
Cortes  was  lifted  out  of  the  water  and  placed  upon 
a  horse  ;  the  miserable  remnant  of  his  division 
escaping  as  it  could. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  163 

Alvarado  was  hardly  more  successful.  Hav- 
ing vanquished  Cortes,  the  enemy  now  rushed 
upon  him  in  greater  numbers.  To  aid  them,  they 
cunningly  threw  into  his  ranks  five  bleeding 
heads,  swearing  that  they  were  the  heads  of  Cortes, 
Sandoval,  and  other  chiefs,  and  that  Alvarado's 
should  soon  be  added  to  the  number.  The  Span- 
iards were  in  dismay  ;  they  supposed  that  their 
brave  leader  had  perished,  and  could  tight  no  longer. 
Alvarado  ordered  a  hasty  retreat,  and  with  great 
difficulty  escaped  with  a  part  of  his  division. 

The  division  of  Sandoval  suffered  the  least  loss. 
He  had  pressed-  far  on  toward  the  city,  and  felt 
sure  of  success,  when  suddenly  numbers  rushed 
upon  him,  both  Cortes  and  Alvarado  being  defeat- 
ed. The  Mexicans  resorted  to  the  same  stratagem 
that  had  been  practised  upon  Alvarado.  With  des- 
perate energy,  however,  he  continued  the  fight, 
until,  finding  that  there  was  no  hope  of  success, 
he  commenced. retreating.  By  an  effort  of  skill, 
he  managed  his  retreat  in  so  orderly  a  manner,  that 
only  two  of  his  men  were  killed.  The  great  mass, 
however  (among  them  Sandoval  himself),  was 
wounded.  In  this  general  assault,  which  had  thus 
ended,  sixty  Spaniards  and  a  great  number  of 
allies  were  slain,  while  almost  every  survivor  was 
suffering  from  his  wounds.  In  addition  to  this, 
they  lost  six  horses,  one  cannon,  and  a  quantity 
of  their  arms. 


164  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

Night  now  closed  in,  but  not  to  give  them  rest. 
The  Mexicans  prepared  for  a  frightful  festival. 
The  Spaniards  heard  the  sound  of  the  big  drum, 
and  the  blasts  of  the  horns  and  trumpets,  mingled 
with  the  exulting  yells  of  the  conquerors,  while  in 
the  temples,  that  were  brilliantly  illuminated,  they 
saw  the  priests  moving  about,  and  their  poor  cap- 
tive comrades  made  to  dance  naked  before  the 
idols.  Then,  too,  they  could  hear  the  piercing 
shrieks  of  the  wretched  prisoners  as  tlaey  were 
laid  upon  the  altars  to  be  sacrificed  ;  and  while 
they  spent  the  long  night  weeping  for  their  friends, 
they  vowed  in  their  hearts  an  awful  revenge. 

After  this  defeat,  the  Mexicans  sent  the  heads 
of  those  slain  in  sacrifice  to  all  the  neighboring 
towns  and  provinces,  declaring  to  the  people  that 
the  gods,  being  delighted  with  the  blood  of  those 
sacrifices,  had  promised  that  in  eight  days  the 
hated  Spaniards  should  all  be  destroyed,  and  peace 
restored  to  their  empire.  This  was  a  cunning 
stratagem.  The  superstition  of  the  Indians  al- 
lowed them  to  believe  the  story  ;  and  thus  those 
provinces  already  hostile  to  the  Spaniards,  became 
more  bitter  in  their  hatred,  while  their  allies 
began  to  desert.  Even  the  Tlascalans  were  dis- 
posed to  abandon  him.*  Cortes  very  prudently 
determined  to  attempt  nothing  during  these  eight 

*  It  is  said  that  Chichimecatl,  the  young  lord  of  Tezcuco, 
and  eight  Tlascalans,  were  all  that  stood  by  him. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  165 

days.  He  placed  himself  on  the  defensive,  and 
resolved  to  wait  quietly  until  the  Indians  should 
see  that  the  story  was  idle. 

Eight  days  passed  away,  and  the  Spaniards 
were  still  undestroyed.  The  Indians  now  flocked 
again  to  the  standard  of  Cortes  in  larger  numbers 
than  ever  ;  he  soon  had  the  command  of  fifty  thou- 
sand allies.  Just  at  this  time,  a  vessel  arrived  at 
Villa  Rica  with  men  and  ammunition.  This  last 
article  was  very  much  needed,  as  the  Spaniards 
had  spent  nearly  all  their  gunpowder.  With  a 
heart  unbroken  by  his  fresh  calamity,  and  still  car- 
rying the  fixed  determination  of  conquering  Mexico, 
Cortes  now  resolved  upon  another  attack.  This 
time  he  was  resolved  to  trust  to  prudence  as  well 
as  courage  ;  and,  giving  up  all  thought  of  preserv- 
ing the  city,  he  at  once  commenced  his  siege  of 
destruction. 

The  three  divisions  were  commanded  to  advance 
in  strict  military  order  :  they  were  to  destroy  every 
house  in  the  way  ;  while  the  allies,  following  im- 
mediately behind,  were  to  fill  up  all  ditches — • 
thereby  making  a  retreat  easy,  if  necessary.  The 
divisions  started,  and  the  plan  was  regularly  fol- 
lowed up.  Day  after  day  the  Mexicans  found 
themselves  shut  up  in  narrower  limits  ;  yet  Guati- 
mozin  continued  his  resistance,  and  seemed  deter- 
mined to  see  the  last  house  in  Mexico  razed  to  th& 
ground  before  he  would  consent  that  the  Spaniards 


166  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

should  enter  the  city.  At  length,  Alvarado  with 
his  division  worked  his  way  to  the  great  squaro 
of  Tlalteloco.  He  found  that  a  great  number  of 
warriors  and  priests  had  gathered  in  the  temple 
which  commanded  the  entrance  to  the  square  ;  and 
as  his  comrades  from  the  other  causeways  were  to 
meet  in  this  square  (the  general  mustering-place 
agreed  upon),  he  determined  to  attack  them.  With 
his  whole  force,  he  rushed  impetuously  forward, 
gained  the  temple,  drove  out  the  Mexicans,  set  fire 
to  the  idols,  and  planted  the  Spanish  banner  on 
the  top  of  the  building,  to  cheer  his  approaching 
companions. 

This  was  a  joyous  signal  to  Cortes  and  Sando- 
val. With  renewed  energies  they  pressed  on,  and 
in  four  days  joined  Alvarado  in  the  square.  His 
plan  was  thus  far  successful ;  he  was  now  master 
of  the  western  portion  of  the  city,  and  Cortes  re- 
solved to  pursue  it  further.  Before  doing  this, 
however,  he  sent  another  messenger  to  Guatimo- 
zin  with  proposals.  The  proud  Mexican  King 
again  gave  him  a  scornful  answer,  and  the  Span- 
iards at  once  renewed  their  operations.  Every 
day  the  Mexicans  were  enclosed  in  a  narrower 
compass,  while  a  heap  of  ruins  continued  to 
mark  the  progress  of  the  Spaniards.  The  situ- 
ation of  the  Mexicans  was  now  awful.  The 
brigantines  commanded  the  lake,  the  Tlascalans 
cut  off  all  communication  by  land  ;  and  thus  the 


HERNAN    CORTES.  16? 

horrors  of  famine  were  added  to  those  of  war. 
The  want  of  food  soon  produced  disease  among 
them,  and  now  the  awful  horrors  of  war,  famine, 
and  pestilence,  were  all  upon  them.  Every  night 
the  poor  famishing  creatures  were  prowling  about 
the  Spanish  quarters  in  search  of  food  ;  every  day 
they  were  shut  up  in  smaller  limits.  The  heart 
of  Guatimozin  was  touched,  but  not  subdued  ;  with 
a  proud  and  unconquerable  spirit,  he  seemed  re- 
solved to  see  his  beautiful  capital  one  complete 
ruin,  rather  than  submit.  All  the  city,  except  one 
small  quarter,  was  now  in  possession  of  the  Span- 
iards, and  this  was  soon  to  share  the  fate  of  the 
rest. 

The  command  of  the  fleet  was  given  to  Sando- 
val. He  was  to  attack  that  quarter  by  sea,  while 
Cortes  made  an  assault  by  land.  The  Mexicans 
now  perceived  that  all  was  well  nigh  over,  and 
tried  to  persuade  Guatimozin  to  quit  the  place,  fly 
to  the  distant  provinces,  and  there  rally  his  troops. 
To  aid  him  in  this  matter,  they  brought  to  Cortes 
pretended  proposals  of  peace — hoping  that  while 
he  was  negotiating  with  them,  Guatimozin  might 
escape.  In  this  plan  they  were  disappointed  :  the 
bold  defence  of  Guatimozin,  with  his  bold  answers, 
had  taught  the  Spanish  chief  that  the  death  or  cap- 
tivity of  that  prince  was  necessary  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Spaniards  in  his  kingdom.  Deter- 
mined, therefore,  that  he  should  in  no  way  escape, 


168  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

he  had  given  strict  commands  to  Sandoval  to  be 
on  the  lookout.  Every  canoe  was  closely  watched. 
Seeing  some  large  boats  moving  speedily  toward 
the  land,  Sandoval  gave  signal  for  a  chase.  Gar- 
cia Holguin,  who  commanded  the  swiftest  brigan- 
tine,  soon  came  up  with  them.  From  the  superior 
appearance  of  one  of  the  boats,  he  judged  it  to  be 
the  King's,  and  instantly  prepared  to  fire  upon  it. 
Guatimozin  now  showed  himself,  and  declared  he 
was  ready  to  submit.  With  the  Queen  and  his 
attendants  he  was  immediately  taken  on  board  the 
vessel.  His  first  demand  was  that  he  might  be 
taken  before  the  Spanish  general.  He  was  carried 
to  the  shore,  and  brought  before  Cortes.  Though 
vanquished,  his  spirit  was  unbroken.  He  cried  out 
to  the  Spaniard,  "  Malinatzin,  I  have  done  all  in 
my  power  to  defend  my  kingdom  and  my  people. 
All  my  efforts  have  been  fruitless.  I  have  nothing 
else  to  attempt.  Take  your  dagger  and  stab  me 
to  the  heart !"  Cortes  was  too  much  of  a  soldier 
not  to  feel.  Guatimozin  was  a  young  man  (only 
then  five-and-twenty),  and,  though  a  captive,  had 
proved  himself  a  hero.  He  endeavored  to  console 
him  in  his  sorrow,  promising  that  he  should  con- 
tinue to  reign,  subject  to  the  authority  of  the  King 
of  Spain  ;  and  commanded  that  he,  with  his  family, 
should  be  treated  with  marked  respect.  The  siege 
was  now  ended  :  he  was  master  of  the  capital. 
But  what  was  the  capital  now  ?     Three  fourths 


HERNAN    CORTES.  169 

of  that  once  beautiful  city  lay  in  ruins,  and  all  the 
squares,  streets,  and  courts,  were  filled  with  dead 
bodies.  It  was  scarcely  possible  to  move  without 
stumbling  over  them.  Bernal  Diaz  (one  of  the 
soldiers  of  Cortes)  declares  that  "  all  the  streets, 
squares,  and  houses,  were  covered  with  the  bodies 
of  the  slain  ;  among  the  heaps  of  which  were  to 
be  seen  many  wretches  crawling  about  in  an  ad- 
vanced stage  of  those  loathsome  diseases  produced 
by  famine,  or  unnatural  food,  exhaustion,  and  in- 
fected air.  The  trees  had  been  stripped  of  their 
bark — the  earth  dug  up,  in  search  of  food.  Not 
a  drop  of  fresh  water  could  be  found."  The  Span- 
iards had  lost  in  that  siege  more  than  one  hundred 
of  their  men  ;  their  allies  had  lost  thousands  ; 
while  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
Mexicans  had  perished.  The  air  was  polluted 
with  the  masses  of  the  dead.  Cortes  was  forced 
to  leave  the  city,  that  it  might  be  cleansed  ;  and 
during  three  days  and  nights  the  causeways  were 
filled  with  miserable  beings  carrying  off  the  dead.* 
In  all  this  misery,  the  Spaniards  felt  the  joy  of 
conquerors.  They  had  endured  a  hard  struggle  ; 
their  enemy  was  subdued  :  they  were  now  to  find 
their  treasures.  Returning  to  the  city,  they  com- 
menced their  search  ;  but  it  was  only  to  be  disap- 
pointed.    No  booty  was  to  be  gathered  ;  the  whole 

*  It  is  said  that  Maria  Estrada  again  distinguished  herself  in 
this  siege,  together  with  Beatriz  Bermudez,  and  several  other 
women. 

15 


170  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

quantity  of  gold  that  was  discovered  amounted  only 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars,  hardly 
sufficient  to  pay  the  expense  of  the  enterprise. 
Their  golden  hopes  were  clouded  :  now  they  be- 
gan to  murmur.  By  the  advice  of  Father  Olmedo, 
this  treasure  was  divided  among  the  sick  and 
wounded.  The  murmurs  of  the  discontented  now 
became  louder  ;  they  began  to  insinuate  that  Cortes 
was  unjust.  There  was  a  rumor  that  Guatimozin, 
four  days  before  he  was  taken,  had  thrown  quan- 
tities of  gold  and  precious  stones  into  the  lake,  to 
disappoint  the  avarice  of  the  Spaniards ;  and  now 
they  openly  declared  that  Cortes  knew  more  about 
this  matter  than  he  was  willing  to  confess.  They 
demanded  that  Guatimozin  should  be  put  to  the 
torture  until  he  should  confess  where  the  treasures 
were  hid.  Cortes  very  properly  refused  this  cruel 
demand.  They  were  only  the  more  clamorous,  cry- 
ing out  that  it  was  no  good  feeling  which  prompted 
him  to  deny  thern,  but  a  desire  to  keep  the  place 
concealed,  that  he  alone  might  have  all  the  treasure. 
A  revolt  was  openly  talked  of.  Thus  ungenerously 
accused,  to  prove  his  innocence,  in  a  weak  mo- 
ment Cortes  allowed  them  to  seize  Guatimozin.  He 
was  instantly  put  to  the  torture.  The  agony  was 
borne  by  the  unfortunate  King  with  unflinching  for- 
titude, until  Cortes,  in  a  rage,  snatched  him  away 
from  them.     He  had  no  story  to  tell :  the  treasures 


HERNAN    CORTES.  171 

were  not  to  be  found.*  The  life  of  this  unhappy- 
captive  was,  however,  only  prolonged  three  years  ; 
the  statement  of  a  Mexican  inducing  the  Spaniards 
to  suspect  a  revolt,  in  which  he  was  said  to  be  con- 
cerned, he  was  condemned  to  die,  and  was  hanged. 

Cortes  now  resolved  to  send  some  of  his  men  to 
the  distant  provinces,  to  subdue  them  and  plant 
settlements.  This  was  necessary,  to  make  his 
conquest  complete  ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  it 
would  serve  to  employ  his  soldiers,  turn  their 
thoughts  from  their  disappointment,  and  possibly 
lead  them  to  the  treasures  they  desired.  Accord- 
ingly, Sandoval,  Olid,  and  others,  were  started  off 
with  parties  in  various  directions. 

But  while' he  was  thus  busily  engaged  in  con- 
quests which  were  daily  adding  kingdoms  to  the 
Spanish  crown,  his  enemies  had  been  busy  in 
Spain.  The  Bishop  of  Burgos  and  others  tor- 
mented the  King  with  the  entreaty  to  take  all 
power  and  command  from  the  Spanish  conqueror. 
Moved  by  their  importunities,  Charles  at  last  con- 
sented. Mexico  was  scarcely  reduced,  when  Chris- 
toval  de   Tapia  arrived  at  Vera   Cruz,  with  full 

*  There  is  a  story  that  the  lord  of  Tacuba  was  put  to  the 
torture  with  Guatimozin.  The  mode  of  torture  was,  by  anoint- 
ing their  feet  with  oil,  and  exposing  them  to  fire.  This  poor  man, 
it  is  said,  died  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  in  his  last  agony  cast  an 
imploring  look  toward  the  King.  Guatimozin,  observing  this 
look,  cried  out  reproachfully,  "Aral  reposing  on  a  bed  of 
toses?" 


172  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

power  to  seize  Cortes,  and  treat  him  as  a  guilty 
man.  Alvarado,  who  was  in  command  at  Villa 
Rica,  received  Tapia  very  kindly,  but  at  the  same 
time  sent  a  messenger  to  Cortes,  to  tell  him  of  the 
danger  that  threatened  him.  Tapia  was  now  ad- 
vancing toward  Mexico,  and  Cortes  commanded 
some  of  his  officers  to  go  out  and  meet  him,  that 
they  might  come  to  terms  peaceably.  Father  01- 
medo  and  others  persuaded  him  to  return  to  Chem- 
poalla,  and  there  show  his  commission  to  them. 
Tapia  was  treated  with  great  respect,  but  he  soon 
found  that  he  was  dealing  with  men  more  cunning 
than  himself,  and  that  he  could  hardly  hope  to  fulfil 
his  orders ;  time  was  wasted,  and  his  business  not 
at  all  forwarded.  By  the  advice  of  his  friends, 
Cortes  now  tried  the  power  of  gold  upon  Tapia. 
The  plan  succeeded  ;  he  was  at  once  bought  over. 
This  danger  being  averted,  Cortes  now  set  dili- 
gently to  the  work  of  rebuilding  Mexico.  This 
was  to  be  done  in  grand  style,  suitable  to  the  capi- 
tal of  the  New  World.  The  ruins  and  rubbish 
being  cleared  away,  grounds  were  marked  off  for 
the  erection  of  churches,  convents,  and  public 
buildings,  while  others  were  laid  out  for  squares 
and  market-places.  He  caused  a  magnificent  pal- 
ace to  be  erected  for  himself,  and  here  took  up  his 
residence.  His  old  prisoner  Narvaez  was  now 
thought  of.  Sending  to  Villa  Rica,  he  had  him 
brought  to  Mexico,  that  he  might  be  reconciled  to 


HERNAN    CORTES.  173 

him.  Cortes  received  him  with  great  kindness, 
embraced  him  warmly,  and  would  not  allow  him 
to  submit  to  the  custom  of  kissing  his  hand.  He 
was  now  at  liberty.  This  generosity  was  for- 
gotten by  Narvaez.  Led  on  by  the  Bishop  of 
Burgos,  he  became  afterward  one  of  the  bitterest 
enemies  of  Cortes. 

15* 


174 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF 


CHAPTER   X 


^Jfjtf-'J         -  HILE  thus  employed  at  the 

capital,  Cortes  was  suddenly 
called  off  by  a  revolt  in  the 
province  of  Panuco.    The  na- 
tives of  that  region  had  risen 
in  arms,  and  massacred  many 
of  the  Spaniards  who  had  gone 
there  to  make  settlements.  Cor- 
tes   instantly,    upon    hearing    this, 
marched  out  against  them,  routed 
them  in  two  battles,  forced  them  to 
submit  to  his   authority,  and  then 
returned  to  Mexico  to  continue  his 
labors. 

As  past  experience  had  taught  him 
to  dread  the  influence  of  his  enemies  in 
Spain,  he  determined  to  send  messengers  once 
more  to  that  kingdom,  to  watch  his  interests  and 
represent  his  conduct.  Accordingly,  two  of  his 
particular  friends,  Alonzo  Davila  and  Quinones, 
were  despatched  there,  bearing  a  rich  present  of 
gold  and  jewels  to  the  King,  together  with  a  re- 
quest from  their  countrymen  that  the  chief  com- 


HERNAN    CORTES.  175 

mand  of  New  Spain  might  be  given  to  their  leader. 
At  the  same  time,  Cortes  sent  letters,  to  advance 
his  owix  interests  and  those  of  his  faithful  officers. 
These  messengers  were  very  unfortunate  on  their 
voyage.  Quinones  was  killed  in  a  duel  at  Ter- 
ceira,  and  Davila  was  made  a  prisoner  by  a  French 
privateer  and  carried  to  France.  From  this  point, 
however,  he  was  enabled  to  send  his  letters  to  Don 
Martin,  the  father  of  Hernan  Cortes.  The  appre- 
hensions of  Cortes  were  well  founded.  A  furious 
contest  was  now  going  on  in  Spain  about  him. 
All  manner  of  charges  were  brought  against  him 
by  the  Bishop  of  Burgos,  backed  by  Narvaez 
and  Tapia,  who  had  now  returned  to  Spain  ;  while 
his  cause  was  strongly  supported  by  his  father  Don 
Martin,  and  his  officers  Francisco  de  Montejo  and 
Diego  de  Ordaz.  Fortunately,  these  last  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  the  friendship  of  the  Duke  of 
Bejar  and  other  powerful  grandees  ;  and  now  the 
claims  of  the  conqueror  were  so  ably  sustained 
before  the  King,  that  justice  forced  him  to  yield. 
Cortes  had  conquered  the  new  kingdom  ;  Cortes 
could  rule  it ;  and  to  him,  therefore,  was  now  sent 
out  a  commission  as  "  Captain-General  and  Gover- 
nor of  New  Spain."  At  the  same  time,  a  number 
of  men  were  despatched  by  the  King  to  collect  and 
manage  the  royal  revenues. 

Upon  receiving  this  commission,  Cortes  contin- 
ued to  carry  out  his  plans  most  vigorously.     The 


176  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

city  of  Mexico  was  hourly  rising  from  its  ruins, 
while  his  officers,  despatched  in  every  direction, 
were  wandering  through  the  distant  provinces, 
searching  for  mines,  or  making  settlements.  So 
devoted  were  his  followers  now,  that  it  is  said  he 
might,  without  an  effort,  have  become  an  absolute 
monarch  over  the  new  region  he  had  conquered. 
But  his  heart  was  true  to  his  king  ;  he  desired  no 
such  honor.  It  was  enough  for  him  to  have  added 
so  vast  an  empire  to  the  land  of  his  birth,  and  now 
to  rule  over  it  under  the  authority  of  another. 

About  this  time,  Garay,  the  Governor  of  Jamaica, 
set  sail,  with  a  large  body  of  followers,  for  the  re- 
duction of  Panuco.  At  Cuba  he  heard  of  the  great 
exploits  of  Cortes,  and  that  this  province  was  sub- 
dued by  him.  Having,  however,  his  commission 
from  the  Bishop  of  Burgos,  he  hoped  to  negotiate 
with  Cortes,  and  assume  the  command  :  and  there- 
fore continued  his  voyage.  The  weather  driving 
him  into  the  river  Palmas,  he  landed  his  men,  and 
determined  to  march  into  Panuco.  Upon  reach- 
ing that  place,  he  found  that  the  soldiers  of 
Cortes  had  possession ;  his  own  soldiers  began 
to  join  them,  and  he  saw  that  his  adventure 
was  an  idle  one.  Vallejo,  who  commanded  the 
settlement  of  San  Estevan,  had  sent  notice  of  his 
arrival  to  Cortes  ;  and  Alvarado,  Sandoval,  and 
Father  Olmedo,  were  sent  to  Panuco,  with  com- 
mands for  Garay  to  leave  the  country.    But  Garay's 


HERNAN    CORTES.  177 

position  was  hardly  that  of  an  opponent ;  a  large 
number  of  his  men  had  deserted  him,  and  he  was 
forced  to  request  Cortes  to  aid  him  in  making  them 
return  to  their  duty.  They  were  soon  on  terms 
of  peace  ;  and,  at  the  suggestion  of  Father  Olme- 
do,  the  Governor's  son  was  married  to  Doha  Cata- 
lina,  the  daughter  of  Cortes. 

The  expedition  of  Garay,  however,  gave  trouble 
in  another  way.  His  soldiers  went  to  wandering 
through  the  country,  insulting  and  robbing  the  na- 
tives, until  at  last  they  became  exasperated  and 
determined  upon  revenge.  So  completely  did  they 
carry  out  their  design,  that  in  a  little  time  it  is  said 
they  killed,  sacrificed,  and  devoured  five  hundred 
of  the  soldiers  of  Garay.  Not  satisfied  with  this, 
they  went  so  far  as  to  destroy  every  Spania.d  whom 
they  could  find  straggling,  and  at  length  took  up 
arms  for  the  destruction  of  the  colony  of  San  Es- 
tevan.  Yallejo  and  many  of  his  companions  were 
killed  in  defending  themselves,  and  forty  Spaniards 
belonging  to  that  settlement  were  seized  and  burnt 
in  one  night.  Cortes  immediately  despatched  San- 
doval, with  a  strong  force,  against  the  Panuchese. 
That  officer  soon  subdued  them,  making  the  Ca- 
ciques and  most  of  the  guilty  men  his  prisoners. 
Upon  sending  to  Cortes  to  know  what  should  be 
done  with  them,  a  message  was  returned  that 
Diego  de  Ocampo,  the  magistrate,  should  look  into 
the  matter,  and  punish  the  guilty,  while  at  the  same 


178  THE    ADVENTURES   OF 

time  he  should  use  all  proper  means  to  conciliate 
the  natives.  Many  of  the  Caciques  confessed 
their  guilt,  while  others  were  proved  to  be  guilty ; 
and  these  were  all  either  burnt  or  hanged.  A  num- 
ber received  a  free  pardon  ;  and,  that  no  such  diffi- 
culty might  occur  again,  the  soldiers  of  Garay  were 
collected  and  sent  back  to  Cuba. 

Cortes  now  turned  again  to  the  work  of  improve- 
ment and  discovery.  News  having  reached  him 
that  in  the  districts  of  Higueras  and  Honduras 
there  were  extensive  and  valuable  mines  :  in  fact, 
that  gold  was  so  plenty  there,  that  the  weights  on 
the  fishermen's  nets  were  made  of  it — and,  more- 
over, that  a  passage  might  there  be  discovered  into 
the  Pacific  ocean — he  determined  to  send  an  ex- 
pedition into  that  region.  Accordingly,  he  fitted 
out  six  ships,  and  gathering  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty soldiers,  gave  the  command  to  Christoval  de 
Olid,  with  orders  to  proceed  to  Cuba,  procure  all 
necessary  supplies,  and  thence  to  pursue  his  voyage 
to  Higueras  and  make  a  settlement. 

Troubles  were  still  gathering  for  Cortes  in  Spain. 
His  enemies  were  still  active  against  him  ;  the  tax- 
gatherers  who  had  been  sent  out  by  the  King  en- 
vied him  his  palace  and  his  authority  over  the  new 
kingdom.  Private  hatred,  too,  was  in  the  hearts 
of  some.  One  of  his  men  (Rodrigo  de  Albornoz)had 
ambitiously  desired  to  marry  the  daughter  of  the 
Prince  of  Tezcuco,  and  Cortes  had  opposed  it. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  179 

The  man  remembered  this  with  a  bitter  feeling. 
Heavy  accusations  against  Cortes  had  been  sent 
to  Spain.  He  was  charged  with  laying  heavy 
taxes  upon  the  people,  fortifying  castles  for  his 
own  use,  and  in  every  way  preparing  to  make 
himself  a  king.  The  Bishop  of  Burgos  and  Nar- 
vaez  urged  these  accusations  warmly  before  the 
King,  while,  as  formerly,  the  Duke  of  Bejar  used 
his  influence  against  them  ;  the  King  was  waver- 
ing and  undecided.  At  length,  in  an  effort  to  please 
both  parties,  he  determined  that  the  conduct  of 
Cortes  should  be  investigated.  Ponce  de  Leon 
was  therefore  despatched  to  Mexico,  with  powers 
to  seize  the  Governor  if  he  should  think  it  neces- 
sary, and  send  him  under  a  strong  guard  to  Spain. 
Difficulties  at  home,  too,  again  annoyed  him. 
Olid,  upon  his  arrival  at  Cuba,  tempted  by  Velas- 
quez, had  proved  a  traitor  to  his  general.  Pro- 
ceeding to  Higueras,  he  had  planted  the  colony  of 
the  Triumph  of  the  Cross,  and  declared  himself 
independent  of  Cortes.  The  Spanish  leader  was 
greatly  grieved  over  this  treason.  Olid  had  shared 
with  him  his  trials  and  his  triumphs  ;  and  yet  it 
was  necessary  to  punish  him,  as  an  example  to  the 
rest  of  his  countrymen.  An  expedition,  under  the 
command  of  Francisco  Las  Casas,  was  immedi- 
ately sent  against  him.  The  vessel  was  unfortu- 
nately driven  ashore  by  a  storm  ;  some  of  the  men 
perished,  others  were  made  prisoners  by  Olid— 


180  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

among  the  rest,  Las  Casas.  Upon  being  set  free, 
however,  he  persuaded  the  soldiers  of  Olid  to  re- 
turn to  their  duty,  and  seize  their  traitorous  leader. 
Olid  was  arrested,  shortly  afterward  sentenced  to 
die,  and  beheaded. 

Anxious  to  stop  this  treason,  and  not  hearing 
promptly  from  Las  Casas,  Cortes  had  gathered  his 
forces  for  a  start.  With  a  large  body  of  Spaniards, 
and  three  thousand  Mexicans,  headed  by  their 
chiefs,  all  under  the  command  of  himself  and  San- 
doval, he  set  out  by  land  for  that  region.  After 
passing  Coatzacuales,*  where  he  was  received 
with  fire-works  and  every  demonstration  of  joy,  his 
march  was  perhaps  as  perilous  and  trying  as  any 
adventure  of  his  life.  It  lay  through  a  wild  and 
uninhabited  country,  intersected  by  rivers,  and  cov- 
ered with  tangled  forests,  which  completely  shut 
out  the  light  of  day.  They  were  forced  to  con- 
struct bridges  for  passing  the  streams,  and  to 
cut  their  way  through  the  thick  woods  that  sur- 
rounded them.  Starvation  and  disease  followed 
in  their  track  ;  they  ate  such  roots  and  berries  as 
they  could  find  :  multitudes  perished.  At  one  time 
Cortes  was  compelled  to  punish  his  soldiers  for  seiz- 
ing and  devouring  some  of  the  natives.  With  an 
undying  perseverance  he  pushed  his  way  on,  and 

*  At  this  .place  they  met  with  the  brother  and  mother  of 
Dona  Marina.  The  mother,  knowing  her  guilt,  was  almost 
afraid  to  meel  her  daughter  ;  but  Dona  Marina  treated  her  very 
kindly,  and  interceded  in  her  behalf  with  Cortes. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  181 

at  length  reached  the  region  for  which  he  had 
started,  only  to  find  that  all  was  in  submission. 
Las  Casas  had  faithfully  carried  out  his  orders. 

In  the  mean  time,,  Ponce  de  Leon  had  arrived 
in  the  country,  but  died  before  he  was  able  to  ex- 
ecute the  King's  commands.  The  enemies  of 
Cortes,  however,  were  still  alive  and  active  ;  every 
agent  sent  out  by  the  King  acted  as  a  spy  upon 
the  leader  ;  every  vessel  that  sailed  from  the  New 
World  carried  home  false  accusations  against  him. 
The  Bishop  of  Burgos  still  plead  with  the  King. 
At  last  his  suspicions  were  aroused  ;  he  became 
jealous  of  the  growing  fame  and  power  of  Cortes, 
and  issued  a  commission  to  "  investigate  his  con- 
duct, and  subject  him  to  all  the  rigors  of  justice." 

Mortified  at  the  triumph  of  his  enemies,  the  spirit 
of  Cortes  was  still  unbroken.  His  old  veterans 
now  rallied  around  him,  and  proposed  that  he 
should  declare  himself  independent  of  the  King, 
swearing  that  they  would  maintain  his  cause  at  all 
hazards.  This  he  was  unwilling  to  do  ;  yet  his 
proud  -spirit  revolted  at  the  thought  of  being  sub- 
jected to  a  trial  in  that  country  which  he  had  con- 
quered and  ruled.  He  determined  to  present  him- 
self boldly  before  the  King,  and  explain  his  whole 
conduct.  Attended  by  his  brave  officers  and  the 
principal  chiefs  of  the  Mexicans,  and  carrying  a 
large  part  of  his  riches  to  give  splendor  to  his  ap- 
pearance, Cortes  repaired  to  Spain.  He  had 
16 


182  THE    ADVENTURES  OF 

scarcely  reached  that  country,  when  he  met  with 
a  heavy  sorrow.  The  gallant  Sandoval,  one  of  his 
attendants,  died  in  Andalusia,  on  his  way  to  the 
Spanish  capital,  and  Cortes  mourned  for  him  as  his 
noblest  soldier  and  most  devoted  friend.  At  this 
moment,  when  friends  were  needed,  his  sorrow 
was  felt  most  keenly.  Arrived  at  the  Spanish 
court,  the  King  received  him  with  every  mark  of 
friendship.  Cortes  was  now  in  his  native  land, 
where  his  power  was  limited,  and  the  jealousy  of 
•the  monarch  was.  for  a  little  time  forgotten.  At- 
tentions were  liberally  bestowed  upon  the  con- 
queror. His  exploits  were  loudly  talked  of ;  he 
was  admitted  to  an  intimacy  with  the  King  as  great 
as  that  of  the  first  grandees  of  the  land,  and  re- 
ceived from  him  the  Order  of  Santiago,  and  the 
title  of  Marquess  of  the  Valle  de  Oaxaca.  Yet 
for  all  this  he  could  not  obtain  from  him  his  former 
position  as  Captain-General  of  New  Spain.  Empty 
titles  he  could  give  him,  but  this  embraced  too  much 
power,  and  the  King  held  to  his  determination  not. 
to  bestow  it.  For  two  years  Cortes  continued  at  the 
court,  while  the  superior  merit  of  the  conqueror, 
and  the  strong  attachment  of  his  men,  only  fastened 
tire  King  in  his  first  conclusion.  In  the  New 
World  he  might  have  the  military  command,  with 
the  privilege  of-  making  new  discoveries  and 
conquests  ;  the  government  of  that  country  was 
given  to  a  board  of  officers,  to  be  known  as  the 


HERNAN    CORTES.  183 

Audience  of  New  Spain*  Wearied  and  disgusted, 
at  length,  in  1530,  he  left  the  kingdom  and  returned 
to  Mexico. 

Here,  again,  he  was  in  the  midst  of  disappoint- 
ments. The  Audiencia,  jealous  of  his  power, 
watched  his  every  movement,  while  every  plan 
proposed  by  him  met  with  their  decided  opposi- 
tion. Backed  as  they  were  by  the  King  and  his 
ministers  in  Spain,  it  was  idle  for  him  to  oppose 
them.  Wearied  with  the  little  meanness  of  these 
men,  his  thoughts  turned  again  to  the  pursuits  of 
his  early  life  ;  he  determined  to  embark  in  new 
discoveries  and  exploits.  He  had  in  his  mind  the 
thought  that  a  passage  might  be  found  -  between 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans  (or  the  North  and 
South  seas,  as  they  were  then  called)  somewhere 
on  the  eastern  coast  of  North  America,  or  through 
the  isthmus  of  Panama.  Accordingly,  he  fitted  out 
expeditions  to  attempt  these  discoveries,  and  in- 
trusted the  command  to  able  pilots.  They  were, 
of  course,  unsuccessful  in  finding  what  they 
searched  for.  Disappointed  in  this,  he  now  sent 
out  various  armaments  from  the  western  shores  of 
the  Mexican  empire,  to  make  discoveries  in  the 
South  sea.  The  first,  under  the  command  of  Men- 
doza  and  Mazuela,  was  unsuccessful.  A  second, 
in  charge  of  Becerra,  was  fortunate  enough  to 

*  This  government  was  afterward  superseded  by  that  of 
Viceroys. 


184  THE    ADVENTURES    OF 

reach  the  southern  extremity  of  the  rich  peninsula 
of  California  ;  but  a  mutiny  arising  among  the  men, 
destroyed  the  hope  of  further  discovery.  With  an 
untiring  energy,  Cortes  now  made  ready  another 
expedition,  and  took  the  command  himself.  Storms 
and  hardships  beset  him  in  his  voyage  ;  yet,  with 
a  desperate  resolution,  he  pressed  on,  reached  the 
region  discovered  by  Becerra,*  and  planted  the 
colony  of  La  Santa  Cruz.  He  now  returned  to 
Mexico  to  procure  supplies.  Here  difficulties 
again  beset  him,  and  he  thought  it  prudent  to  send 
for  his  followers  in  the  new  colony  and  bring  them 
home,  to  save  them  from  starvation.  Still  resolute, 
however,  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do  so  he  sent 
out  another  expedition,  under  Francisco  de  Ulloa. 
This  likewise  proved  unfortunate.  In  these  un- 
profitable enterprises  it  is  said  he  spent  no  less 
than  three  hundred  thousand  crowns. 

His  Iossh,  t  together  with  the  continued  jealousies 
of*  the  Audiencia,  now  prompted  him  again  to  re- 
turn to  his  native  country,  in  the  hope  of  finding 
redress.  Accordingly,  in  1540,  he  sailed  home- 
ward. Upon  his  arrival,  he  found  his  reception 
very  different  from  what  it  had  been  before.  He 
was  now  known  as  a  disappointed  adventurer. 
Pizarro  and  Almagro  had  been  making  brilliant 

*  It  is  commonly  supposed  that  Cortes  was  the  discoverer  of 
California,  hut  the  author  regards  Diego  de  Becerra  as  the  dis- 
coverer of  that  peninsula. 


HERNAN    CORTES.  185 

discoveries  in  Peru,  and  all  thoughts  were  turned 
toward  them.  He  was  now  not  so  much  to  be 
dreaded  by  the  King.  He  treated  him  neither  as 
a  friend  nor  an  enemy — worse  than  either,  with  a 
cold  indifference.  The  ministers  carried  them- 
selves toward  him  with  actual  scorn.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem,  this  was  the  treatment  which  the 
conqueror  of  Mexico  received  in  his  native  land  ! 

For  seven  tedious  years  did  he  seek  redress  at 
the  court  of  Spain.  Day  after  day  did  he  entreat 
for  justice  at  the  hands  of  those  who  managed  the 
affairs  of  America  ;  day  after  day  did  he  demand 
of  the  King  that  his  services. should  be  remembered. 
No  gratitude  for  those  perilous  services,  however, 
could  move  that  monarch.  The  man  who  had 
given  to  his  country  an  empire  in  the  New  World 
was  doomed  never  again  to  have  authority  in  it. 
Nay,  the  King  added  insult  to  injury.  It  is  said 
that  on  one  occasion,  when  Cortes  appeared  at 
court,  and  was  pressing  through  the  crowd  to  ap- 
proach the  monarch,  the  King,  anxious  to  wound 
him  by  pretending  not  to  know  him,  cried  out  to 
his  attendants,  "  Who  is  that  person  ?"  The  an- 
swer of  Cortes  was  direct.  "  Tell  his  Majesty," 
cried  the  conqueror,  "  that  it  is  one  who  has  con- 
quered for  him  more  kingdoms  than  his  ancestors 
left  him  provinces  !" 

His  life  was  well  nigh  ended.  His  continued 
disappointments   mortified   him ;    grief   over   his 


186  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  HERNAN  CORTES. 

broken  hopes  preyed  upon  him  ;  domestic  afflic- 
tion rolled  in  to  fill  the  cup  of  his  misery,  and  he 
sank  under  the  burden.  He  died  on  the  second 
day  of  December,  1547,  in  the  sixty-second  year 
of  his  age.  His  remains  were  buried  with  great 
ceremony  in  the  chapel  of  the  Dukes  of  Medina 
Sidonia  ;  but,  in  obedience  to  a  direction  in  his 
will,  were  afterward  taken  to  the  New  World,  and 
now  rest  in  that  city  which  he  discovered  and 
conquered,  but  was  not  allowed  to  rule. 


THE    END. 


It 


VALUABLE  WORKS 

FOE   TUSH   Y©U"^©: 

PUBLISHED    BY 

D.APPLETON  AND  COMPANY. 


OCT3  Parents  may  with  entire  safety  place  in  the 
hands  of  their  Children  any  of  these  cheap,  yet 
elegant  Publications. 

TALES  FOR  THE  PEOPLE  AND  THEIR  CHILDREN, 

ID3  The  greatest  care  is  taken  in  selecting  che  works  of  this  popu- 
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piece, and  bound  in  superior  style. 

TL«  following  are  uow  ready  —  to  be  had  separately,  or  in  uniform 
s«.vs : 

THE  POPLAR  GROVE  ;  or,  Little  Harry  and  his 

Uncle  Benjamin.     By  Mrs.  Copley. 
EARLY  FRIENDSHIPS ;  by  Mrs.  Copley. 
THE  PEASANT  AND  THE  PRINCE ;  by  Hmw 

riet  Martineau. 
NORWAY  AND  THE  NORWEGIANS ;  or,  Feats 

of  the  Fiord.     By  Harriet  Martineau. 
MASTERMAN  READY;  or,  the  Wreck  of  the 

Pacific.    Written  for  Young  People,  by  Captain 

Marryat. 


VALUABLE   WORKS  FOR   THE   YOUNG.  13 

THE  LOOKING-GLASS  FOR  THE  MIND ;  or, 
Intellectual  Mirror.  An  elegant  collection  of 
Delightful  Stories  and  Tales  :  many  plates. 

HOPE  ON,  HOPE  EVER  ;  or,  the  Boyhood  of  Fe- 
lix Law.     By  Mary  Howitt. 

STRIVE  AND  THRIVE;  a  Tale.  By  Mary 
Howitt. 

SOWING  AND  REAPING ;  or,  What  will  Come 
of  It  ?     By  Mary  Howitt. 

WHO  SHALL  BE  GREATEST  ?  a  Tale.  By 
Mary  Howitt. 

WHICH  IS  THE  WISER?  or,  People  Abroad. 
By  Mary  Howitt. 

THE  DANGERS  OF  DINING  OUT ;  or,  Hints  to 
those  who  would  make  Home  Happy.  To  which 
is  added  the  Confessions  of  a  Maniac.  By  Mrs. 
Ellis. 

SOMERVILLE  HALL ;  or,  Hints  to  those  who 
would  make  Home  Happy.  To  which  is  added 
the  Rising  Tide.     By  Mrs.  Ellis. 

THE  TWIN  SISTERS :  a  Tale.  By  Mrs.  Sandham. 

THE  TWO  DEFAULTERS :  a  Tale.  By  Mrs. 
Griffith,  of  New  York. 

Several  other  popular  works  are  in  preparation. 


SPRING  AND  SUMMER. 

rhe  Juvenile  Naturalist,  or  Walks  in  the  Country.  By  the  Rev. 
B.  H.  Draper.  A  beautiful  volume,  with  fifty  plates.  1  vol 
square,  handsomely  bound. 

AUTUMN  AND  WINTER. 

fhe  Juvenile  Naturalist,  or  Walks  in  the  Country.  By  the  Rev. 
B.  H.  Draper.  A  beautiful  volume,  with  many  plates,  uniform 
with  "  Spring  and  Summer." 


ALUABLE  WOKKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG.      15 

A  GIFT  FROM  FAIRY  LAND; 

By  the  late  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  Illustrated  by  100  uniqae 
original  plates,  by  Chapman,  elegantly  bound.     1  vol.  12mo» 

THE  YOUNG  MAN  FROM  HOME; 

In  a  series  of  Letters,  especially  directed  for  the  moral  advance- 
ment of  Youth.  By  the  Rev.  John  Angell  James.  Fifth  edi- 
tion.    1  vol.  18mo. 

MINIATURE  CLASSICAL  LIBRARY,      # 

Great  pains  has  been  bestowed  in  the  selection  of  this  unique  Li- 
brary. It  will  comprise  the  best  works  of  our  veneratedi| au- 
thors ;  published  in  an  elegant  form,  with  a  beautiful  frontis- 
piece, tastefully  ornamented.     The  following  are  now  ready  : 

GOLDSMITH.— Essay.     By  Oliver  Goldsmith. 

GOLDSMITH The   Vicar   of    Wakefield.        By    OLIVER 

Goldsmith. 

JOHNSON — The  History  of  Easselas,  Prince  of  Abyssinia, 
a  Tale.     By  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.  D. 

COTTrN" — Elizabeth,  or  the  Exiles  of  Siberia.  By  MadamO 
Cottin.  .  The  extensive  popularity  of  this  little  Tale  is 
well  known. 

ST.  PIERRE;— Paul  and  Virginia ;  From  the  French  of  J 
B.  H.  De  St.  Pierre. 

PURE  GOLD  from  the  Pavers  of  Wisdom A  collection 

of  short  extracts  on  religious  subjects  from  the  older  writers- 
Bishop  Hall,  Sherlock,  Barrow,  Paley,  Jeremy  Taylor,  &c. 

TOKEN  OF  REMEMBRANCE. 

TOKEN  OF  AFFECTION.  TOKEN  OP 

FRIENDSHIP. 

Sach  volume  consists  of  appropriate  Poetical  extract!  from  thft 

principal  writers  of  the  day.  « 


16         Works  Pubhs/lea  by  D.  Appteton  <5f  Co. 

A  LIBRARY  FOR  MY  YOUNG  COUNTRYMEN. 


A  senes  of  instructive  works  adapted  to  the  youthful  mind,  o 
a  character  associated  with  the  annals  of  our  country,  has  long 
been  wanted.  This  Library  is  intended  to  comprise  sketcne^ 
of  the  Lives,  Adventures  and  Discoveries  of  the  early  founders 
of  America ;  also  the  lives  of  distinguished  men  connected 
with  American  history  of  more  modern  date :  it  is  likewise 
intended  to  include  some  approved  works  of  English  authors, 
re-edlted  with  additions  and  explanatory  notes.  The  wholo 
charge  of  the  Library  is  confided  to  the  hands  of  the  popular 
author  of  "  Uncle  Philip's"  "  Whale  Fishery,"  4<  Loit  Green 
land*  <$fC   cjf-c. 

The  following  commence  the  Series: 

THE  LIFE  AND  ADVENTURES  OF  HENRY  HUDSON  \ 

By  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Philip's,"  "  Virginia,"  &c. 

ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  SMITH  J 

founder  of  Virginia.    By  the  author  of  "  Henry  Hudson,"  &c 

DAWNINGs'oF  GENIUS; 

By,  Anne  Pratt,  author  of  "  Flowers  and  their  Associations,"  <fce  , 

1IFE  AND  ADVENTURES^  OF  HERMAN  CORTES ,- 

By  the  author  of  the  "Adventures  of  Captain  John  Smith,"  &c 


THE    CROFTON     BOYS; 
A  Tale  for  Youth.    By  Harriet  Martin  eau,  author  of  "The  Peasant 

and  the  %ince,"  "Norway  and  the  Norwegians,"  &c. 
This  truly  interesting  and  instructive  work  forms  the  sixteenth  vo- 
lume of  the  popular  series  of  "  Tales  for  the  People  and  their 
■    Children" 

THE    OLD    OAK    TREE; 

A»most  interesting  little  volume  of  practical  instruction  for  youth  * 
illustrated  with  nearly  fifty  plates. 
"This  volume  comprises  a  series  of  twelve  familiar  discourses  or  conversations 
which  took  place  on  as  many  Sabbath  aftemooriB,  a  pious  old  blind  man  being  the  chief 
speaker.  It  is  by  the  author  of  '  John  Hardy,1  '  The  Footman,'  &c,  and  is  published 
wider  the  direction  of  the  Society  for  the  promotion  of  Christian  Knowledge.  The> 
precepts  conveyed  are  altogether  unexceptionable,  and  the  whole  volume  is  well  ca!nt>- 
ml*i  to  prove  attractive  with  children."— .Sat.  OuvnieU. 


WORKS   PUBLISHED   BY    D.   APPLETON   AND   CO.  $ 

THE  FLAG  SHIP  :  ~" 

OR    A   VOYAGE    ROUND    THE    WORLD, 

In  the  United  States  Frigate  Columbia,  attended  by  her  consort,  the 
Sloop  of  War  John  Adams,  and  bearing  the  Droad  pennant  of 
Commodore  George  C.  Read.  By  Fitch  W.  Taylor,  Chaplain  to 
the  Squadron.    2.  vols.  l2mo.  plates. 

ELLA    V ; 

Or  the  July  Tour.    By  one  of  the  Party.    1  vol.  12mo. 
"  He  can  form  a  moral  on  a  glass  of  champagne." — Le  Roy. 

missionary's  FAREWELL. 

By  the  Rev.  John  Williams,  author  of  Missionary  Enterprises,  etc* 
1  vol.  lomo. 

h.  Collection  of  Church  Music.  Edited  by  George  Kingsley,  au- 
thor of  Social  Choir,  etc. 

"This  collection  is  pronounced  by  the  most  eminent  professors 
so  be  superior  to  any  published  in  the  country." 

MY    SON'S    MANUAL. 

Comprising  a  Summary  View  of  the  Studies,  Accomplishments, 
and  Principles  of  Conduct,  best  suited  for  Promoting  Respecta- 
bility and  Success  in  Life.  Elegantly  engraved  frontispiece.  I 
vol.  ISmo. 

My   Kanghter's    Manual. 

Comprising  a  Summary  View  of  Female  Studies,  Accomplishments 
and  Principles  of  Conduct.    Beautiful  frontispiece.    1  vol.  l8uao. 

GKLFFIN;S~KE  MAINS. 

Remains  of  the  Rev.  Edmund  D.  Griffin.  Compiled  by  Francis 
Griffin.    With  a  Memoir  by  Rev.  Dr.  McVicar.    2  vols.  8vo. 


PALMER'S  TREATISE  ON  THE  CHURCH. 

A   TREATISE    ON   THE    CHURCH   OF    CHRIST, 

Designed  chiefly  for  the  use  of  Students  in  Theology.  By  the  Rev. 
William  Palmer,  M.  A.,  of  Worcester  College,  Oxford.  Edited, 
with  Notes,  by  the  Right  Rev  W.  R.  Whittingham,  D.  D.,  Bishop 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  diocese  of  Maryland, 
2  vols,  8vo.,  handsomely  printed  on  fine  paper. 


8  WORKS   PUBLISHED   BY   D.    APPLETON   AND   CO. 

SOUTHEY'S  POETICAL  WORKS. 

The  complete  collected  edition  of  the  Poetical  Works  of  Robert 
Southey,  Esq.,  LL.  D.  edited  by  himself.  Printed  verbatim  from 
the  ten  volume  London  edition.  Illustrated  with  a  fine  portrait 
and  vignette.     1  vol.  royal  8vo. 

"The  beauties  of  Mr.  Southey's  Poetry  are  such  that  this  col- 
lected edition  can  hardly  fail  to  find  a  place  in  the  Library  of  every 
person  fond  of  elegant  literature." — Eclectic  Review. 

"Southey's  principal  Poems  have  been  long  before  the  world, 
extensively  read,  and  highly  appreciated.  Their  appearing  in  a 
uniform  edition,  with  the  author's  final  corrections,  will  afford  un- 
feigned pi  asure  to  those  who  are  married  to  immortal  verse." — 
Literary  Gazette. 

"This  edition  of  the  works  of  Southey  is  a  credit  to  the  press  of 
our  country." — N.  A.  Review. 

GUIZOT'S     HISTORY  OF     CIVILIZATION. 

General  History  of  Civilization  in  Europe,  from  the  Fall  of  the  Ro- 
man Empire  to  the  French  Revolution.  Translated  from  the 
French  of  M.  Guizot,  Professor  of  History  to  la  Faculte  des  Let- 
tres  of  Paris,  and  Minister  of  Public  Instruction.  3d  American, 
from  the  last  London  edition.    1  vol.  12mo. 


BICKERSTETH'S  COMPLETE  WORKS 

The  Works  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Bickersteth,  Rector  of  Manton, 
Hertfordshire,  containing  Scripture,  Help,  Treatise  on  Prayer, 
the  Christian  Hearer,  the  Chief  concerns  of  Man,  for  Time  and 
Eternity,  Treatise  on  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  the  Christian  Stu- 
dent.   1  vol.  8vo. 

SPIRITUAL  CHRISTIANITY. 

Lectures  on  Spiritual  Christianity,  by  Isaac  Taylor,  author  of  Spj 
ritual  Despotism,  etc.  etc    1  vol.  12mo. 

Physical  Theory  of  Another  Life 

By  Isaac  Taylor,  author  of  Natural  History  of  Enthusiasm.  Thisr 
edition.    1  voL  12mo. 

By  Isaac  Taylor,  author  of  Natural  History  of  Enthusiasm,  etc.  e 
j     Second  edition.    1  vol.  12mo. 

iO  Fran  -is  Wayland,  D.  0.    Second  edition.    1  vol.  ISmo- 


This  book  is  due  at  the  WALTER  R.  DAVIS  LIBRARY  on 
the  last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due."  If  not  on  hold  it 
may  be  renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  library. 


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